^im^  oUm /^?^  PtjiA^  _ 


'^'^   0?  THE 

UHIVBESITTl 


/ 


■,\Jt 

i 

/ 

LETTERS  OE  MY  ESTHER 


TO 

BEGINNING  WITH  THOSE  WRITTEN  DURING  THEIR  ENGAGEMENT. 

WITH 

ExtPaets  from  His  Journal, 

GIVING  DESCRIPTION, OF  HIS  WIFE  HND  OF  HIMSELF 

R  PHRENOLOGICAL  EXAMINATION  OF  HIMSELF  MADE  BY 
PROF.  CRANE. 

ARRANGED  AND  PUBIvISHED  BY 

HKXT  IVlCCALIv  RERRY,   M:.  D; 


Printed  privately  by  Avil  Printing  Company, 

philadelphia,  penna. 

1889. 


^/^. 


2./ 


"V      OP  THB^' 


fJi  7  Oi/r/^A.    .^  -^f^^ 


TO 


MY    DKAR    MOTH  BR 


THIS  VOI.UME  IS  AFFECTIONATEI/Y 


lebkate^, 


IN  REMEMBRANCE  OK  THE 


FIFTY-SECOND  ANNIVERSARY 


OF  HER  MARRIAGE  TO 


jmy  father 


I 


;U|ri7BRSlTrl 


C^»CVuCKNN0<'^>v>OA 


PRKFACB. 


The  publication  of  this  work  (for  private  circulation 
only)  has  been  suggested  by  reading  the  letters  written  by 
my  father  to  my  mother,  beginning  with  those  written  dur- 
ing their  engagement. 

A  great  deal  has  been  published  relating  to  my  father'^ 
public  life,  illustrating  the  exalted  principles  that  governed 
him,  and  made  him  sacrifice  self-interest  and  all  his  natu- 
ral and  honorable  aspirations  for  fame,  honor  and  distinc- 
tion. Little  did  he  then  think  that  this  self  immolation 
for  the  good  of  his  country  would  in  after  years  give  him 
more  reputation  than  was-  acquired  by  his  successful  con- 
temporaries. His  unique  position,  standing  alone  endeav- 
oring to  prevent  disunion  which  he  knew  would  bring  ruin 
and  degradation  upon  South  Carolina,  has  placed  him  upon 
a  footing  with,  or  perhaps  higher  than  all  of  South  Caro- 
lina's distinguished  sons.  He  alone  seemed  to  know  the 
fatal  results  of  secession,  and  though  he  would  have  died 
for  his  State  he  would  not  betray  her.  When  the  ruin  did 
come,  instead  of  exulting  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  prophe- 
cies, he  took  part  with  his  State  and  did  all  he  could  to 
relieve  her.  As  Provisional  Governor  he  was  able  to  do 
much.  He  lived  to  see  his  political  course  approved  by  a 
large  majority,  and  died  at  peace  with  all  mankind,  honored 
and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

As  in  public,  so  was  he  in  private  life.  His  warm 
feelings  were  centred  in  his  family;  he  loved  his  wife  with 
a  devotion  never  surpassed  and  which  time  only  increased. 
This  love  his  children  also  shared;  a  more  devoted  hus- 
band and  father  never  lived. 

The  letters  herein  published  prove  my  father's  beauti- 
ful domestic  character,  and  will  be  valued  by  his  descend- 
ants, and  considered  a  precious  legacy  for  ages  to  come. 

Hext  McCall  Perry,  M.  D. 
Philadelphia^  Pa,^  April  2yth^  i88g. 


AN    MUMBIvK    TRIBUXK. 


Hefleetions  at  the  Gmve  of  Ex-Govefnop  B.  p.  Peppy. 


Rest  in  the  silent  grave',  noble,  cherished  friend. 
Thy  honor,  name  and  fame  thy  country  will  defend  : 
All  that  is  mortal  here  may  pei-ish  and  decay. 
But  thy  blest  memory  will  never  fade  away. 

The  world  is  better  that  he  lived  " — oh,  how  true  ! 
Generations  unborn  thy  precepts  will  review  : 
In  naming  her  statesmen,  all  standing  side  by  side, 
The  old  Palmetto  State  will  lisp  thy  name  with  pride. 

Though  affection  may  cease  her  visits  to  thy  torhb  ; 
And  this  endearing  spot  become  a  scene  of  gloom  ; 
These  monuments  of  love  may  crumble  to  the  ground. 
Still  thy  cherished  name  in  story  will  be  found. 

While  the  fame  of  statesmen  in  history  shall  stand. 
Posterity  hold  dear  the  noble  and  the  grand  ;5 
When  South  Carolina  surveys  her  roll  of  fame. 
She  will  repeat  with  pride  and  emphasize  thy  name. 

His  noble  heart  was  large  as  was  his  manly  form  ; 
His  friendship  was  sincere,  affection  pure  and  warm  ; 
He  did  not  seek  to  gain  the  multitude's  applause. 
When  duty  called  him  to  advocate  a  cause. 

Ready  to  give  aid  to  all  those  who  were  in  need  ; 
And  to  all  in  trouble  he  was  a  friend  indeed  : 
He  was  ever  candid,  a  stranger  to  deceit : 
Oh  !  it  was  a  pleasure  so  kind  a  soul  to  greet ! 

Yes,  I  have  seen  him  weep  !  tears  would  instinctive  start, 
When  pity's  trembling  tones  vibrated  through  his  heart : 
His  love  and  affection  was  lasting  and  sincere  ; 
And  the  sweet  joys  of  Home  filled  his  heart  with  cheer. 

Oh  !  I  remember  well,  and  cherish  it  with  joy. 
When  I  was  an  orphan,  an  humble  printer  boy  ; 
Often  in  his  office,  where  duty  bade  me  go, 
I  recall  his  kindness  near  sixty  years  ago. 

He  loved  his  country,  her  honor  and  her  name  ; 
His  time  and  his  talents  were  given  to  her  fame  : 
Faithful  to  his  duties,  when  wanted,  always  there  : 
Well  may  the  country  ask — Who  now  can  fill  his  chair  ? 
June,  1889.  — RoBT.  McKay. 


ERRATA 


Page  13,  for  Millichamps,  read  Mellichamps, 

13,  88.  for  Sims,  read  Simms. 

14,  for  Mrs.  Edding,  read  Mrs.  Eddings. 
16,  49,  for  Haynes,  read  Hayne's. 
24,  41,  42,  for  Miss  Sloane,  read  Sloan. 
24,  26,  for  Pereneau,  read  Perron  eau. 
27,  for  P.  B.  Duncan,  read  R,  B.  Duncan. 

32,  for  M.,  read  Mr. 

33,  for  DufBe,  read  McDuflSe. 
38,  for  Miss  Susan,  read  Miss  Sloan. 
40,  for  Conova,  read  Canova. 
42,  for  Merrick,  read  Maverick. 
52,  for  Mrs.  Towns,  read  Mrs  Jones. 
57,  for  Bush,  read  Burt. 
64,  for  W.  Huger,  read  J.  Huger. 
66,  for  Col.  Harper,  read  Col.  Harlee. 
69,  73,  123,  for  Judge  O'Neil,  read  Judge  O'Neall. 
72,  for  Desaussau,  read  Desaussure. 

77,  for  Findly,  read  Finley. 

78,  for  Mr.  Wardlau,  read  Mrs.  Wardlau. 

79,  for  Savage  Heywood,  read  Savage  Heyward. 

80,  82,  for  Col.  Dunton,  read  Col.  Dunham. 
83,  for  Toors,  read  Joors. 

87,  93,  95,  101,  102,  109,  for  Aunt  Benton,  read  Aunt  Bruton. 

88,  for  Judge  Hayne,  read  Judge  Huger. 

90,  for  Ravenel,  read  Russel. 

91,  92,  94,  for  Mr.  Cunningham,  read  John  Cunningham. 
96,  104,  for  Col.  Dovie,  read  Col.  Davie. 
99,  for  Governor  Memminger,  read  Gov.  Henigan. 
99,  for  George  Williamson,  read  George  Williman. 
99,  for  Huston,  read  Hutson. 

100,  102,  for  Gadsen,  read  Gadsden. 

102,  for  Cousin  Martin,  read  Cousin  Hutson. 

104,  for  Col.  Simonson,  read  Col.  Simonton. 

104,  for  Symons,  read  Simons. 

112,  114,  122,  133,  135,  137,  138,  for  Anne,  read  Anna. 

112,  130  for  Mr.  Mayront,  read  Mayrant. 

114,  for  Blonding,  read  Blanding. 

118,  for  Billing's,  read  Boiling's. 

T18,  for  Latimore,  read  Ivatimer. 

122,  for  Rosser,  read  Ropfer. 

130,  for  Dr.  Hoke,  read  Col.  Hoke. 

133,  for  Dunton,  read  Dunham. 

136,  for  Banard,  read  Barnard, 

137,  for  McGowen,  read  McGowan. 

139,  for  Maylin,  read  May  bin. 

140,  for  Nonel's,  read  Nowel's. 


tTNIVBRSIT 


^^^^^^^^ 


TJJflVBRSIT 
LBTTERS  OK 


BBNJAMIN  F.  PKRRY 


TO   HIS  WIRE 


Klizabeth    IVLcCall. 


GrkknviIvIvE  C.  H.,  November  4th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Elizabeth  : — I  returned  from  I^aurens  Court,  two  days  sooner 
than  I  intended,  for  the  purpose  of  writing  to  you,  at  Edgefield,  by  your 
cousin.  Major  Hayne — expecting  that  he  would  leave  here  on  Thursday. 
I  hope  you  will  not  be  displeased,  although  you  may  receive  this,  my 
first  letter  to  you,  some  few  days  sooner  than  you  anticipated.  Next  to 
seeing  you,  being  with  you  and  catching  the  soft  melody  of  your  words 
as  they  fell  from  those  hallowed  lips,  will  be  the  pleasure  of  writing  to 
and  receiving  letters  from  you.  This  is  my  only  consolation  during  the 
six  ensuing  long,  very  long  weeks. 

I  have  often,  my  dearest,  parted  with  intimate  bosom  friends,  near 
and  dear  relations,  but  I  never  felt  the  deep  anguish  of  a  separation  until 
I  parted  with  you  on  the  banks  of  the  Saluda — for  I  never  before  had  bid 
*'  farewell  "  to  one  whom  I  loved  so  fondly,  so  passionately,  and  in  whose 
existence  were  centred  all  my  hopes  of  pleasure  and  happiness  in  this 
world.  That  sadness  of  heart  which  my  last  lingering  look  at  you  inspired , 
as  you  departed  from  me,  still  casts  a  thick  dark  gloom  over  my  feelings. 
Neither  the  pleasures  of  society  nor  the  fatigues  of  business  have  been 
able  to  dissipate  my  melancholy.  But  when  I  recollect  the  words  which 
you  whispered  me  as  we  were  crossing  the  river,  I  feel  cheered,  and  my 


6  lyBTTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

spirits  for  the  moment  seem  to  revive.  Methinks  I  can  almost  hear,  even 
now,  that  low,  soft,  sweet  tone  in  which  they  were  uttered — "  Doubt  me 
not. "  "  The  proof  you  require  I  will  give  you  the  next  time  we  meet. ' ' 
No,  my  darling,  I  will  not,  I  cannot  ' '  doubt ' '  you — and  oh  that 
"  proof?  "  How  eager  will  I  claim  it  "  when  we  meet  again."  It  ought 
to  have  been  given  when  we  parted,  and  that  little  heart  of  yours  told  you 
it  was  unkind  to  refuse.  But  I  forgive  you  the  damages  and  will  claim 
the  proof  in  December,  the  debt  and  interest. 

Strange  as  it  may  at  first  appear,  Greenville  though  dreary  and  lonely, 
has  peculiar  charms  for  me  at  this  time,  and  I  scarcely  ever  returned  to 
the  village  with  more  eagerness  than  I  did  the  other  day.  Almost  every 
thing  I  see  in  this  place  reminds  me  of  you  ;  the  houses,  river,  churches, 
and  even  streets,  have  their  pleasing  associations.  It  was  in  the  drawing 
room  of  the  Mansion  House  that  I  first  made  your  acquaintance — the  very 
spot  where  you  stood  is  now  in  my  mind's  eye.  How  many  pleasant 
evenings  have  we  spent  there  !  It  was  in  that  room  I  first  heard  your 
guitar  and  the  still  sweeter  music  of  your  song.  When  I  see  the  steeple 
of  our  church,  rising,  as  it  were,  amidst  the  forest  trees,  I  am  reminded 
that  it  was  in  returning  from  that  sacred  Temple  of  the  ever-living  God 
that  I  first  told  my  love.  I  may  almost  say  that  I  imbibed  from  the  ser- 
mon which  I  that  morning  heard,  courage  enough  to  make  the  confession. 
But  no  place  fills  my  heart  with  more  delightful  emotions  than  the 
*'IReedy  Falls."  It  was  on  that  high  cliff,  of  a  lovely  moonlight  night, 
that  I  first  felt  that  I  loved  you.  It  was,  as  you  may  remember,  the  eve- 
ning of  my  introduction  to  you.  We  stood  face  to  face  on  the  rock,  listen- 
ing to  the  music  of  the  guitar  mingling  its  soft  sounds  with  the  dashing 
waters  beneath.  I  gazed  at  your  features,  and  traced  in  their  soft,  lovely 
expression  the  sweetness  and  innocence  of  your  soul.  I  thought  to  myself 
that  there  never  was  a  human  face  which  bore  so  close  a  resemblance  to 
an  angel  from  Heaven.  From  that  moment  I  felt  that  I  loved  you,  and  I 
determined  to  humble  my  proud  heart  at  your  feet. 

But  there  is  too  much  of  this  matter  to  speak  of  it  in  a  letter.  I  have 
already  told  you  and  confessed  to  you  every  thing  connected  with  my 
affections  for  you.  I  must  wait  until  I  see  you  before  I  repeat  them.  I 
shall  send  you  by  Major  Hayne  a  handsome  gold  watch,  which  I  beg  of 
you  to  wear  with  the  chain  I  presented  you  in  Greenville.  I  am  sure  you 
will  value  the  gift  more  on  account  of  the  giver  than  for  its  own  intrinsic 
value.  Wear  it  for  my  sake.  The  lock  of  hair  and  the  chain  you  gave 
me  shall  never  be  separated  from  my  person. 

I  have  much,  very  much  to  write  you,  but  have  not  room  without 
troubling  you  with  another  sheet  of  paper.      Do  write  to  me,  my  dear 


To  K1.IZABETH  McCai.1..  7 

Lizzy,  the  day  after  you  receive  this  letter.  You  cannot  imagine  the 
impatience  and  anxiety  with  which  I  shall  expect  an  answer.  I  beseech 
you  by  the  love  you  bear  me  to  write  immediately. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters.  I  will  see  you  on  the 
twenty-third  of  December — '*  when  we  meet  again,"  remember.  Fare- 
well, dearest,  sweet  lovely  girl,  farewell. 

Your  sincere  lover, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


GrEKnviIvI.E  C.  H.,  November  6th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  am  afraid  you  will  find  me  a  troublesome  cor- 
respondent. I  may  write  you  too  frequently.  If  so,  I  can  only  plead  in 
extenuation  the  ardor  of  my  affections.  Writing  to  you  is  the  only  plea- 
sure now  within  my  reach,  and  I  will  not  forego  it  until  reproved  by  you. 
I  wrote  you,  two  or  three  days  since,  a  letter  enveloped  to  your  mother, 
addressed  to  the  care  of  Mrs.  Sinipkins,  which  I  hope  you  have  received. 
If  there  had  been  time  for  you  to  have  written  me  an  answer,  I  should 
accuse  you  of  coldness  and  negligence.  But,  as  it  is,  I  am  cheering  my- 
self with  the  hope  of  receiving  a  letter  from  you  in  due  time.  You  must 
not  disappoint  me.     The  impatience  of  a  lover  is,  as  you  know,  proverbial. 

I  say  it  to  you,  my  dear  lyizzy,  in  the  honest  frankness  and  sincerity 
of  my  heart,  which  I  am  sure  you  will  not  doubt,  that  scarcely  fifteen 
minutes  have  passed  by  since  we  parted  in  which  you  were  not  present  in 
my  thoughts.  Even  in  sleep  the  pleasing  semblance  of  you  recurs  to  my 
dreams,  giving  them  an  interest  and  a  charm  which  my  present  waking 
moments  cannot  afford.  But  oh,  how  imbittering  when  the  delusion  has 
passed  away,  and  I  find  "  'tis  all  a  dream." 

You  will  perceive  from  this  and  my  first  letter  that  in  addressing 
you  I  have  adopted  the  familiar  abbreviation  of  your  name,  which  your 
mother  seemed  to  think  sounded  sweeter  and  softer  than  Elizabeth.  I 
think  so,  too,  when  it  is  not  preceded  by  the  formal  "  Miss."  In  my  cor- 
respondence with  you  that  formal  word  must  be  thrown  aside.  But  when 
it  is  used  the  abbreviation  does  not  sound  well.  I  have  said  this  much 
in  explanation,  because  I  recollect  you  requested  me  not  to  change  my 
manner  of  addressing  you — as  I  did  not  first  call  you  ' '  Lizzy  ' '  you  did 
not  desire  me  to  do  so  now.  You  do  not  know,  nor  can  you  imagine  the 
anxiety  with  which  I  look  forward  to  the  time  when  I  may  most  appro- 
priately use  this  dear  familiar  term  of  addressing  you.     I  regret  deeply 


8  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

and  sorrowfully  that  the  time  is  so  distant.  It  ought  to  have  been,  it 
ought  yet  to  be,  sooner  than  was  first  suggested  by  your  mother.  I  yielded 
everything  to  her  because  I  was  afraid  to  make  any  objection. 

But  we  shall  meet  in  December,  when  all  these  matters  are  to  be 
arranged.  In  the  ardor  and  warmth  of  my  feelings  I  have  regarded  them 
made.  There  may  yet  be  some  formality  to  be  complied  with  in  regard 
to  our  engagement.  But  my  heart,  my  love,  the  burning  passion  of  my 
soul  tells  me  that  in  the  eyes  of  Heaven  w^e  are  engaged  in  thought,  feel- 
ing and  affection  ;  and  sooner,  much  sooner  would  I  have  the  thread  of 
my  life  severed  than  for  our  engagement  to  be  in  the  least  weakened  or 
impaired.  My  dreams  of  bliss  in  the  future  are  bright,  and  all  to  be 
realized  under  that  engagement.  I  have  felt,  from  our  first  acquaintance, 
a  consciousness  that  we  were  intended  for  each  other's  happiness.  I 
never  before  saw  any  one  whom  I  thought  so  well  calculated  to  make  me 
happy.  I  never  before  saw  one  for  whose  happiness  I  was  so  willing  and 
so  ready  to  make  any  and  every  sacrifice. 

You  must  not,  my  dear  love,  accuse  me  of  romantic  or  extravagant 
notions.  I  have  not,  at  any  period  of  my  life,  been  given  to  romance  or 
extravagance.  I  never  have,  from  my  infancy,  indulged  in  visions  and 
delusions.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  always  correctly  anticipated  the 
future.  Misfortunes  and  difficulties  never  came  upon  me  unawares.  It 
has  been  my  fate  to  have  dangers  and  misfortunes  thicken  around  me. 
But  although  I  could  not  prevent  them,  I  have  always  foreseen  and  been 
prepared  to  meet  them.  That  presentiment  which  never  deserts  me  now 
assures  me  of  a  bright,  blissful  future. 

I  must  conclude  my  letter.  To-day  is  the  Sabbath.  I  recollected 
this  morning  that  I  promised  you  to  write  my  first  letter  to  you  this  day. 
I  have  my  second.  I  have  done  so  instead  of  going  to  church.  Have  you 
kept  your  promises  with  me  ?  Do  you  look  upon  the  setting  sun  so  that 
our  eyes  may  once  every  day  rest  on  the  same  object?  Farewell — may 
the  mercies  of  Heaven  rest  upon  you — farewell,  my  darling. 

Your  lover, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To   ElvIZABETH   McCalL.  9 

GrkKnviIvLB  C.  H.,  November  12th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  had  the  gratification,  last  night,  of  receiving  a 
letter  from  Major  Hayne,  which  informed  me  that  you  were  well  and 
would  leave  Edgefield  that  day  for  Charleston.  It  gave  me  great  plea- 
sure to  hear  from  you,  and  especially  that  you  were  in  health,  and  under 
no  apprehension  of  cholera  on  returning  to  town.  But  how  much  more 
gratifying  would  it  have  been  to  have  received  a  letter  from  you  yourself, 
written  by  your  own  hand  and  dictated  by  your  own  heart !  I  find,  how- 
ever, that  my  feelings  are  very  much  inclined  to  plead  in  extenuation  of 
your  silence  that  it  was  not  convenient  for  you  to  write,  or,  that  you  had 
not  time  to  do  so  after  the  reception  of  my  letter.  That  love  which  I  bear 
you  assures  me  that  you  are  incapable  of  an  intentional  wrong,  or  an  act 
of  cold  negligence  towards  me. 

The  letter,  which  was  inclosed  to  me,  from  your  mother,  addressed 
to  Mr.  William  Hayne,  I  have  forwarded  to  him  in  an  envelope  to  Colo- 
nel Cunningham.  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  reach  him  before  he  leaves 
Laurens.  Indeed,  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  he  were  to  spend  the  Winter 
at  Rosemont.  His  prospect  of  success  must  be  flattering,  and  if  so, 
what  charms  have  the  fascinations  of  a  city  for  him,  a  young  man  in  love, 
and  enjoying  the  society  of  her  whom  he  loves  ?  None,  none,  I  would 
not,  for  myself,  exchange  one  hour  spent  in  your  company,  seated  by  you 
as  I  was  the  day  we  parted,  two  weeks  since,  for  an  existence  of  years 
amidst  the  vain  show,  pomp  and  hollowness  of  fashionable  life.  Oh  ! 
lyizzy,  you  do  not  know  how  often  that  ride  occurs  to  my  imagination  ! 
You  do  not  know  how  often  I  think  of  all  and  every  word  that  passed 
between  us,  those  two  days,  the  happiest  of  my  life  !  And  the  only  thing 
which  mars  the  pleasure  their  remembrance  brings  to  my  mind  is  that  they 
were  the  last  days  we  spent  together. 

I  shall  start  on  the  24th  inst.  for  Columbia,  and  it  will  even  afibrd 
me  some  pleasure  to  know  that  I  am  on  the  road  to  see  you,  although  I 
have  to  make  an  unwilling  stay  of  three  or  four  weeks  in  Columbia.  Here- 
tofore the  time  I  spent  every  Fall  in  Columbia  was  full  of  interest  and 
pleasure  to  me,  and  until  I  saw  you  I  had  anticipated  a  more  pleasant 
visit  to  the  Legislature  and  the  Court  of  Appeals  than  usual.  If  I  should 
neglect  the  interests  of  my  constituents,  or  the  business  of  my  clients  this 
Winter,  you  must  bear  the  blame,  as  you  will  be  the  innocent  cause  of  it. 

I  saw  your  friend,  Mr.  Edward  Croft,  this  morning,  who  inquired  about 
you  and  your  mother.  Mr.  Croft  has  pretty  nearly  recovered  from  that 
terrible  accident  which  his  gallantry  brought  upon  him.  Mrs.  Croft  is 
quite  well.  They  will  start  to  Charleston  in  a  week  or  ten  days.  Our 
special  friends,  the  old  maids  of  the  Mansion  House,  are  still  here,  and  I 


ro  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

have  been  thinking  what  great  sin  I  have  committed  that  Providence 
should  thus  punish  me  alone  with  the  company  of  such  people.  I  have  the 
consolation  of  understanding  that  they  will  not  return  to  Greenville  next 
Summer. 

In  an  excursion  which  I  made  into  the  country  yesterday  I  passed 
immediately  by  the  basis  of  Paris  Mountain  and  saw  where  we  ascended 
the  mountain  together,  and  I  travelled  over  the  same  road  over  which  we 
passed  in  going  to  the  mountain.  I  looked  at  the  Bald  Rock  with  more 
interest  than  it  ever  inspired  me  before. 

This  is  the  third  letter  I  have  written  you.  I  hope  to  hear  from  you 
to-morrow  evening.  I  trust  you  do  not  think  my  letters  unworthy  of  an 
answer.  They  are  badly  written,  I  know,  and  whilst  writing  I  am  fre- 
quently interrupted  by  unwelcome  visitors.  You  must  excuse  me.  I  am 
an  awkward  hand  in  writing  love  letters.  It  is  what  I  have  heretofore  had 
very  little  practice  in,  I  assure  you.  But  if  I  continue  as  I  have  com- 
menced I  shall  soon  have  a  great  deal  of  experience. 

Good-night,  my  dearest.  After  drawing  a  long  answer  in  equity  this 
evening,  I  have  stolen  an  hour  from  sleep  to  write  you — God  bless  you — 
farewell.  Ever  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Greenville  C.  H.,  November  20th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  your  first  letter  to 
me  the  other  evening,  and  I  am  unable  to  express  the  gratification  which 
it  afibrded  me.  I  have  read  it  over  a  dozen  times,  and  should  you  not 
write  me  again  very  shortly,  there  will  be  great  danger  of  my  wearing  it 
literally  out  in  reading  it  over.  No  sooner  had  my  eye  caught  the  supier- 
scription,  among  many  other  letters,  which  were  handed  me  at  the  same 
time,  than  my  heart  felt  assured  of  the  correspondent.  I  kissed  the  seal 
with  fervent  lips,  when  I  saw  it  was  a  wafer  and  fondly  imagined  it  had 
been  pressed  by  yours. 

My  dear  Lizzy,  I  thank  you  kindly  for  the  letter.  It  came  in  time 
to  soothe  my  eager  anxiety,  and  I  receive  it  as  another  assurance  of  your 
love.  You  need  not  apologize  to  me  for  the  style  of  your  letters.  I  shall 
always  read  them  as  a  lover  and  not  as  a  critic,  and  I  hope  you  will  re- 
ceive mine  with  the  same  feeling.  Love  letters  should  never  be  criticised, 
for  they  flow  as  it  were  from  the  heart  and  are  always  written  without 
regard  to  rule  or  style.     Nor  are  they  ever  criticised  by  the  parties  inter- 


To   ElvIZABETH    McCaLI..  II 

ested,  and  others  have  no  business  with  them.  If  it  were  requisite  for 
either  of  us  to  apologize  for  our  correspondence,  I  ought  to  do  so  and  not 
you.  Ladies  have  always  excelled  in  epistolary  writing,  and  ' '  novice  ' ' 
as  you  may  be,  in  the  ''kind  of  letter"  you  so  coyly  mention,  your 
''style  "  and  "  penmanship  "  are  above  criticism  when  I  alone  am  to  be 
the  judge.  However,  the  letter  you  sent  me  had  one  fault,  and  that  is 
a  very  serious  one — it  was  too  short.  I  hope  I  am  not  to  judge  of  the 
extent  of  your  feelings  by  the  length  of  your  letter.  If  so,  and  we  are 
both  to  be  judged  by  the  same  rule,  my  love  must  be  thrice  as  great  as 
yours — yes,  three  times  three,  for  I  write  you  letters  three  times  as  long 
as  yours,  and  send  you  three  for  one  ! 

You  seem  to  think  that  I  have  the  advantage  of  you  in  this  ' '  kind ' ' 
of  letter  writing,  for  you  ' '  can  scarcely  believe  that  "  I  "  have  not  before 
written  on  the  subject  of  love. ' '  Do  you,  my  dear  Lizzy,  think  it  strange 
that  a  heart  which  has  hitherto  been  callous  to  love,  should  have  fallen  a 
victim  at  the  shrine  of  your  beauty,  your  loveliness,  and  the  amiable  and 
bewitching  charms  and  accomplishments  of  your  heart  and  mind  ?  If  you 
were  as  conscious  of  your  own  power  and  influence  as  I  am,  you  would 
not  think  so.  Never  before  did  I  see  one  in  whose  manners,  person,  mind 
and  accomplishments  I  could  find  no  fault.  I  had  seen  others  whom  I 
admired  for  some  particular  trait  in  their  character,  but  I  always  imag- 
ined there  was  some  deficiency,  some  want  of  that  perfection  which  my 
heart  so  fondly  and  so  confidently  gives  to  you.  I  may  almost  say,  my 
darling,  that  I  am  a  novice  in  love  as  well  as  in  love  letters.  In  my 
youth,  when  a  boy,  I  preferred  books  to  company.  This  preference  I 
cherished,  and  as  I  grew  up  I  became  almost  wedded  to  my  studies  and 
profession.     It  has  taken  you  and  you  alotie  to  break  this  spell. 

But  you  must  not  suppose  from  this  that  I  possess  a  cold  or  unfeeling 
heart.  I  am  sure  I  have  given  you  too  many  evidences  to  the  contrary. 
No,  lyizzy,  if  there  be  a  fault  in  my  nature — and  I  know  I  have  many — it 
is  that  I  am  too  sensitive,  too  ardent  and  too  impetuous  in  my  feelings  and 
disposition.  I  have  frequently  thought  that  I  was  the  creature  of  feeling 
alone.  I  am  certain  that  I  have  often  been  rendered  unnecessarily  un- 
happy through  excess  of  feeling.  And  I  am  sure  that  if  I  have  a  settled 
unkind  feeling  towards  any  human  being  I  know  it  not. 

To-day,  you  may  recollect  my  telling  you  would  be  my  birthday. 
Yours  you  would  not  disclose  to  me,  but  promised  to  write  me  on  its  next 
anniversary.  I  wish  it  were  to-morrow  so  that  I  might  receive  your 
letter  in  three  or  four  days.  You  must  not  forget  your  promise.  I  have 
done  more  than  I  promised,  and  even  more  than  you  asked  !     It  is  true  I 


12  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

am  to-day  thirty-one  and  unfortunately  there  is  no  merit  in  the  confession, 
for  the  fact  was  known  to  you  before. 

I  have  written  you  to-day  because  I  could  no  longer  postpone  an- 
swering your  letter.  But  it  is  a  most  miserable  day.  The  rain  has  been 
falling  incessantly  for  twenty-four  hours  and  the  weather  cold.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  prospect  out  of  doors  to  inspire  love  or  give  encouragement 
to  such  feelings.  But  notwithstanding  all  this,  I  have  written  a  good  deal 
about  it  and  felt  far  more  than  I  have  written. 

I  hope,  my  sweet  Ivizzy,  that  you  will  write  me  as  soon  as  I  reach 
Columbia,  and  in  the  mean  time  I  expect  to  receive  a  letter  from  you  before 
I  start,  in  answer  to  my  third  one  to  you. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother,  and  remember  me  to  Miss  Susan  and 
Miss  Anne — and  believe  me  to  be  in  love  and  affection  unalterably  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  November  27th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  arrived  here  on  Friday  evening,  and  I  now  have 
the  gratification  of  knowing  that  I  am  only  one  day's  journey  from  you — 
but  it  grieves  me  to  think  that,  although  so  near,  several  weeks  must 
necessarily  pass  by  before  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  and 
claiming  from  you  that  "  proof"  which  you  promised  me  "when  we  meet 
again."  I  most  earnestly  hope,  however,  that  our  session  will  be  a  short 
one,  and  as  vSoon  as  it  is  over  we  shall  meet  again.  And  oh  !  how  fondly 
could  I  wish  that  we  were  going  to  meet  to  part  no  more.  It  ought  to  be 
so.  It  would  fill  my  heart  with  joy  inexpressible  to  think  it  might  even 
yet  be  so.  Why  should  it  not  be  ?  Where  is  the  necessity  of  post- 
poning these  matters  so  long  ?  Why  should  bliss  be  deferred  for  the 
anguish  of  another  separation  ?  But  I  fear  that  I  reason  in  vain,  and 
that  all  my  appeals  will  be  heeded  not. 

I  did  hope,  my  darling,  to  have  received  a  letter  from  you,  on  my 
arrival  in  this  place,  but  I  have  been  disappointed.  If  you  only  knew  my 
anxiety  to  hear  from  you  again,  and  were  to  think  of  the  pleasure  your 
letters  afford  me,  I  am  sure  you  would  have  written  me.  I  know  that  a 
letter  from  you  would  have  given  me  better  spirits  than  I  have  had  since 
my  arrival  in  Columbia,  it  would  have  kept  me  in  a  better  and  more 
pleasant  mood  than  I  have  been  in,  annoyed  as  I  am  by  a  horde  of  solici- 
tous candidates  for  various  petty  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  lyCgislature. 
Their  applications  are  generally  worrying  enough  in  all  conscience,  but 


To  KivizABKTH  McCali..  13 

nevertheless  they  are  sometimes  quite  amusing.  One  is  a  poor  man  who 
has  had  his  barn,  stable  or  kitchen  burnt,  or  he  has  lost  a  horse,  or^er- 
chance  he  is  too  lazy  to  work,  or  some  other  similar  dire  misfortune  has 
befallen  him,  and  he  wishes  to  be  elected  tax  collector  of  a  certain  parish  or 
district.  Another  is  an  old  man,  and  it  is  his  misfortune  to  be  a  little 
pressed  with  ' '  hard  times, ' '  and  he  thinks  that  he  is  as  much  entitled  to 
an  office  as  any  one,  and  knowing  that  some  one  has  to  be  elected,  he  has 
thought  proper  to  present  his  claim.  There  is  a  third,  perhaps  a  young 
man  who  wishes  to  bring  himself  into  notice  in  some  way,  and  having 
hitherto  been  unfortunate  in  all  of  his  efforts  to  do  so,  he  is  desirous  of 
being  elected  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

But  I  have  almost  forgotten  what  ' '  kind  of  letter ' '  I  am  writing. 
You  can  feel  no  interest  in  such  matters,  however  annoying  they  may  be 
to  me,  and  I  knew  my  descriptions  of  such  things  can  amuse  you  but 
little.  I  believe  you  profess  to  be  a  "  novice  ' '  in  politics  as  well  as  in 
something  else  which  you  alluded  to  in  your  letter — though  I  discovered 
from  your  conversations  on  our  way  from  Greenville  to  the  Saluda,  that 
you  knew  more  of  party  politics  than  you  had  previously  acknowledged. 
Ladies  always  affect  to  know  nothing  about  politics  and  say  that  they 
take  no  interest  in  such  matters.  But  I  have  often  found  that  they  knew 
a  good  deal,  and  that  they  felt  a  deep  interest  in  the  daily  occurrences  of 
the  times.  I  recollect  that  during  the  high  and  bitter  political  excitement 
which  has  just  past  over,  some  of  my  fiercest  opponents  and  staunchest 
friends  were  of  your  sex.  I  do  not  know,  however,  that  any  of  them 
went  so  far  either  for  me  or  against  me,  as  a  beautiful  English  countess  did 
for  Charles  Fox  in  his  Middlesex  election.  It  is  said  of  a  noble  lady  of 
distinguished  beauty,  on  that  occasion,  that  she  went  in  person  to  the 
meetings  to  electioneer  for  Fox,  and  that  when  all  other  means  of  bribery 
failed,  she  gained  one  vote  from  a  country  rustic  by  giving  him  a  kiss  for 
his  vote.  He  told  her  this  was  the  only  condition  on  which  he  could 
change  his  vote,  and  rather  than  lose  the  vote  she  gave  the  kiss. 

I  have  just  been  glancing  over  Sims'  last  novel  "  Millichamps, "  I  am 
sorry  that  your  townsman  and  a  member  of  my  party  should  be  losing 
ground  as  a  novel  writer.  The  story  is  quite  ordinary,  and  everything 
about  the  work  is  equally  so.  I  have  thrown  it  aside  to  write  to  you,  and 
I  am  sure  there  is  no  comparison  between  the  pleasure  I  take  in  writing  to 
you,  and  the  interest  which  ' '  Millichamps  ' '  afforded  me.  How  eagerly  I 
look  forward  to  that  day,  when  we  may  read  together  and  to  one  another 
the  new  novels  and  literary  works  as  they  make  their  appearance.  Before 
I  left  Greenville,  I  saw  marked  out  the  foundation  of  my  house,  and  before 
the  first  of  May  the  building  is  to  be  completed.     I  have  greatly  enlarged 


14  Lkttkrs  of  Bknjamin  F.  Perry 

the  original  plan  which  I  mentioned  to  you.  This  I  did  for  appearance 
as  well  as  convenience.  It  shall  be  the  very  picture  of  a  beautiful  house. 
The  roof  shall,  however,  be  painted  green  in  obedience  to  the  injunction 
of  Mrs.  Edding,  made  to  you  as  well  as  to  me. 

Do,  my  dear  Lizzy,  write  me  immediately.  My  love  for  you  is  ever 
pleading  some  excuse  for  your  silence,  but  I  am  afraid  it  can  no  longer 
invent  excuses  for  you.  It  may  not  be  in  my  power  to  write  you 
again  for  some  time. 

Remember  me  kindly  to  your  sister,  and  believe  me  to  be  your  sincere 
and  devoted  lover.  B.   F.  Pkrry. 


Columbia,  December  4th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the 
reception  of  another  letter  from  you.  I  received  it  on  Thursday  last,  and 
had  for  several  days  been  most  anxiously  expecting  it.  I  am  very  sorry 
that  the  weather  was  so  cold  as  to  prevent  your  wTiting  a  longer  letter. 
But  how  much  gratified  was  I,  my  darUng,  to  know  that  although  your 
hands  were  cold,  your  heart  was  not.  If  your  letter  had  contained  nothing 
but  this  single  expression,  it  would  still  have  been  to  me  above  all  value 
and  all  price. 

You  say  that  after  you  have  practiced  letter  writing  more,  you  know 
that  you  will  like  it.  I  hope  then  that  you  will  practice  and  write  me 
every  day.  I  am  sure  that  it  will  always  give  a  thousand  times  more 
plessure  to  receive  your  letters  than  it  can  ever  afford  you  to  write  ihem. 
You  must  not  feel  under  any  restraint  in  writing  to  me,  as  you  can  write 
with  more  ease  to  me  than  to  anyone  else.  I  think  you  ought  to  be 
under  less  restraint  in  communicating  your  feelings  and  sentiments  to  me 
than  to  any  other  person.  You  should  write  to  me  and  talk  to  me  as  you 
would  to  yourself.  It  does  not  require,  dearest  love,  any  "effort"  on 
your  part  to  appear  to  advantage  in  my  estimation.  To  me  you  are 
everything  that  I  could  wish  or  desire.  No  *'  effort  "  of  yours  can  make 
you  dearer  to  me,  or  more  lovely  in  my  sight.  And  you  must  write  to 
me  as  if  your  letters  were  never  to  be  seen  by  any  one  else  than  yourself. 
But  whether  you  make  an  "effort"  or  not,  you  never  ca'i  "fail"  to 
appear  to  ' '  advantage  ' '  before  me. 

You  intimate  in  your  letter  that  I  ought  not  to  expect  you  to  write 
me  every  day,  and  that  when  you  do  not  write  I  ought  to  take  it  for 


To  B1.IZABBTH  McCai,!,.  15 

granted  ' '  that  everything  remains  in  the  same  state  as  when  we  parted. ' ' 
No,  I^izzy,  you  ought  to  write  to  me' every  day — and  I  hope  it  will  be  as 
you  suppose — the  more  you  practice  writing  the  better  you  will  like  it. 

I  believe  that  three  of  my  last  letters  to  3'OU  have  been  written  on 
Sunday,  and  I  begin  to  fear  you  will  think  that  I  never  go  to  church. 
But  even  if  I  did  not,  and  were  always  to  spend  the  day  in  writing  to  you, 
I  am  certain  it  would  always  be  well  spent,  innocently  spent  and  lov- 
ingly spent.  I  have,  however,  been  to  church  to-day.  I  went  to  the 
Episcopal  Church  with  our  mutual  friend  lyaufens  Toomer.  Miss  Sim- 
kins  was  in  church,  and  as  she  passed  by  us  to  her  carriage,  Mr.  Toomer 
bowed  and  she  returned  the  salutation.  But  that  was  all  that  passed 
between  them. 

To-morrow  is  commencement  in  College.  The  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature have  accepted  an  invitation  to  attend  it.  I  will  see  there  all  the 
beauty  and  fashion  of  Columbia  and  its  visitors,  but  they  will  be  seen 
without  exciting  any  interest  with  me.  It  seems  that  I  have  less  inclina- 
tion for  society  than  I  ever  had.  You  are  to  me  the  world,  and  its  society 
without  you  is  dull  and  insipid.  I  was  invited  to  a  wedding  party  the 
other  night  at  Mr.  Stark's,  but  did  not  attend.  The  gaiety  of  Columbia 
is  just  commencing.  How  heartily  I  wish  it  was  over,  and  with  it  the 
adjournment  of  the  Legislature,  so  that  I  might  be  with  you. 

In  consequence  of  having  to  attend  on  committees  of  nights,  I  have 
caught  a  severe  cold  and  am  rather  indisposed.  Tuesday  next  we  are  to 
take  up  a  report  of  the  Judiciary  Committee  on  the  subject  of  Texas,  and 
I  suppose  will  have  some  discussion.  It  may  be,  if  I  am  well  enough,  that 
I  will  join  in  the  discussion. 

I  have  written  you  in  great  haste,  and  I  know  that  if  I  did  not  write 
to-day  I  should  not  have  time  to  do  so  for  several  days.  Give  my  love  to 
your  mother  and  sisters.  You  say  it  is  reported  throughout  Charleston 
that  you  are  engaged,  but  that  you  have  not  thrown  any  light  on  the  sub- 
ject.    I  suppose  my  visit  to  town  may. 

Your  lover,  B.   F.   Pkrry. 


i6  I^ETTKRS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  December  12th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy . — I  write  you  this  evening  in  a  great  hurry  and  have 
but  very  little  to  communicate  except  that  I  have  engaged  my  passage  to 
Charleston  on  the  21st  inst.,  and  shall  certainly  see  you  on  Friday  morn- 
ing the  23d  inst.  I  shall  leave  here  whether  the  Legislature  adjourns  or 
not.  If  I  am  not  mistaken  I  wrote  you  some  time  since  that  I  would  see 
you  on  the  23d  of  December,  and  you  perceive  that  I  am  disposed  to  be 
very  punctual. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  your  uncle  General  Hayne  the  other  day 
and  again  this  morning,  and  I  wished  to  make  some '  inquiries  about 
you  and  your  mother  and  family,  but  I  felt  rather  too  timid  to  do  so.  Nor 
did  I  know  whether  he  had  ever  heard  any  thing  as  to  the  relation  in 
which  we  stand  towards  each  other. 

I  received  Mr.  W.  C.  Hayne' s  letter  the  other  day.  He  wfote  me 
that  he  was  in  good  health  and  good  spirits,  and  I  suppose  had  met  with 
good  success. 

This  day  our  new  Governor  was  inaugurated,  and  made  his  speech 
amidst  a  crowded  House  and  encircled  by  a  gallery  of  beauty  and  fash- 
ion. And  by  the  by,  I  must  inform  you  that  I  have  made  two  or  three 
speeches  to  the  House  whilst  the  galleries  were  filled  with  ladies,  and  I 
saw  one  with  a  quizzing  glass  looking  at  me  very  earnestly,  more  than 
once.  I  do  not  know  who  she  was  and  did  not  inquire,  so  little  do  I 
care  for  the  smiles  of  any  one  but  yourself.  To-morrow  we  have  a  ' '  great 
debate  "  on  a  Bill  introduced  by  myself  to  blend  the  Courts  of  Law  and 
Equity.  Mr.  Pettigru  has  moved  that  the  Bill  be  referred  to  the  Commit- 
tee of  the  whole  HoUvSe,  and  a  motion  of  this  character  generally  draws  a 
crowded  gallery.  I  shall  be  opposed  in  debate  by  Mr.  Pettigru  and  the 
Charleston  Bar.  It  will  be  pretty  much  a  contest  between  the  lawyers  in 
the  upper  and  lower  county. 

There  was  a  proposition  before  the  House  to-day  to  remove  the  seat 
of  government  to  Charleston.  I  thought  how  happy  I  should  be  if  it  were 
there  now  and  I  could  see  you  looking  down  from  the  gallery  on  me  ?  The 
motion  produced  some  discussion  in  which  I  took  a  part. 

I  declined  an  invitation  to  a  dinner  party  at  Colonel  McCord's  on 
yesterday  for  the  purpose  of  writing  to  you,  expecting  that  I  should  then 
have  leisure.  But  I  was  disappointed,  and  company  prevented  me  alto- 
gether from  writing.  To-night,  after  being  all  day  in  the  Legislature,  I 
have  had  to  attend  a  Committee,  and  have  not  long  since  returned.  I  men- 
tion these  things  by  way  of  excuse  for  this  hastily  written  letter.  Though 
I  have  not  a  moment's  leisure  yet  I  write  you  every  week. 


To  EivizABETH  MgCai^l.  1 7 

Tell  your  mother  that  I  will  certainly  not  make  any  purchase  for  her 
in  Greenville  till  I  see  her.  But  I  hope  she  is  not  less  inclined  towards 
Greenville  than  she  was  in  the  fall. 

Accept  my  prayers  and  wishes  for  you,  and  believe  me  your  sincere 
and  devoted  lover — and  always  remember  me  to  your  mother,  Miss  Susan 
and  Miss  Anne. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


CoivUMBiA,  December  15th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  received  your  letter  this  morning  on  my  way  to 
the  State  House  and  was  very  much  distressed  to  hear  of  your  indisposi- 
tion. Your  mother  writes  me  that  you  have  a  very  bad  cold,  and  are 
confined  to  your  room,  but  that  I  need  not  be  under  any  apprehensions. 
I  hope  you  have  recovered  before  this  time,  and  that  the  very  pleasant 
change  we  have  had  in  the  weather  may  have  a  salutary  influence  on  your 
illness.  It  is  now  ten  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  this  is  the  first  leisure 
moment  I  have  had  since  I  received  your  letter.  I  now  write  you  merely 
to  beg  that  you  will  let  me  know  if  you  become  seriously  indisposed  and 
I  will  leave  everything  here  and  fly  to  you.  I  shall  be  exceedingly  anx- 
ious to  hear  from  you  again,  and  I  hope  you  will  write  me  immediately. 
Although  I  am  assured  that  you  are  not  seriously  ill,  yet  it  gives  me 
great  pain  to  hear  that  you  are  uncomfortable  and  distressed  (as  I  know 
you  must  be  from  your  own  and  your  mother's  letter)  with  a  violent  cold. 
I  have  one  myself,  and  had  when  I  wrote  you  last,  but  am  much  better. 

I  shall  be  in  Charleston  on  the  night  of  the  2 2d  if  no  accident  hap- 
pens to  the  stage  and  railroad  cars.  The  I^egislature  will  adjourn  on  the 
2ist.  The  greater  part  of  my  business  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  will  have 
to  remain  untouched.  Nothing  but  some  unforeseen  accident  will  pre- 
vent me  being  at  Stewart's  Hotel  on  Thursday  night.  If  I  should  hear 
of  your  increased  illness  I  will  be  there  sooner.  And  I  entreat  your 
mother  to  write  me  if  such  should  be  the  case.  You  cannot  imagine 
my  anxiety  and  impatience  as  the  Session  draws  to  a  close.  Whilst 
discussions  are  going  on  in  the  House,  and  even  whilst  I  am  actually  en- 
gaged in  speaking,  I  am  often  thinking  of  you  and  counting  as  it  were 
the  hours  that  must  pass  away  before  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you. 

We  have  had  quite  a  pleasant  session  and  some  interesting  debates, 
in  which  I  have,  for  the  last  four  or  five  days,  taken  an  active  part.     In 


1 8  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

the  proposed  alteration  of  the  Judiciary  I  maintained  quite  a  prominent 
stand  although  defeated  in  the  measures  I  advocated.  To-day  we  had  an 
animated  discussion  on  the  propriety  of  giving  the  election  of  Tax  Collec- 
tors to  the  people,  in  which  I  was  successful  and  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing some  of  the  members  say  that  it  was  owing  to  my  speech  that  the 
proposed  change  was  successful. 

But  I  am  forgetting  that  I  am  writing  any  thing  else  than  a  political 
letter.  You  once  promised  me,  however,  that  you  would  always  here- 
after take  an  interest  in  the  Union  Party  whenever  anything  was  said  in 
which  they  were  concerned.  And  I  hope  therefore  you  will  feel  some  in- 
terest in  my  first  effort  in  legislation.  We  are  visited  every  day  by  ladies, 
and  oh  !  how  delightful  it  would  be  if  you  were  here  to  be  one  of  the 
number. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  say  to  her  that  I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  her  for  the  letter  she  wrote  me  and  which  I  received  this  morn- 
ing. I  would  have  written  to  her  in  reply  but  it  gives  me  more  pleasure 
to  write  to  you,  and  I  can  write  to  you  with  more  ease  and  facility. 

In  haste.  Good-night.  God  bless  you,  may  you  soon  recover,  is  my 
sincere  prayer.  Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  December  i8th,  1836. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  received  your  letter  this  morning  and  was  happy 
to  hear  that  you  had  ♦almost  recovered  from  your  indisposition.  I  have 
not  only  been  '*  uneasy  "  since  I  received  your  mother's  letter,  infonning 
me  of  your  illness,  but  I  have  been  greatly  distressed.  It  made  me  very 
unhappy  to  know  that  you  were  in  any  way  indisposed,  but  I  was  fearful 
that  your  cold  might  be  worse  than  your  mother  anticipated.  Slight- 
colds  are  very  often  the  cause  of  serious  illness. 

I  most  heartily  unite  with  you,  my  dear  Lizzy,  in  the  hope  that  you 
will  be  well  enough  to  give  me  a  welcome  on  Thursday  evening.  Your 
kind  request  that  I  will  see  you  the  same  evening  I  arrive  in  Charleston 
cannot  be  refused  by  me  if  it  is  possible  for  me  to  do  so.  I  agree  with 
you  in  thinking  the  evening  more  pleasant  and  more  sociable  for  a  meet- 
ing after  an  absence  than  the  morning.  But  I  was  afraid  that  the  lateness 
of  the  hour  of  my  arrival  in  town,  together  with  the  fatigue  of  travelling 
all  night  without  sleep  would  prevent  my  calling  on  Thursday  night. 
You  seem  to  think,  however,  that  I  will  reach  Charleston  in  time  to  make 


To  HwzABKTH  McCall.  19 

my  "toilet"  and  call  round.  It  will  not  take  me  long  to  arrange  my 
toilet,  as  you  know  I  am  no  dandy  or  drawing-room  knight.  The 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  and  meeting  you  again  is  too  great  to  be  postponed 
seventeen  or  eighteen  hours  if  it  is  possible  to  avoid  it. 

But  my  dear  love,  there  is  one  request  I  have  to  make — let  no  one  be 
present  but  the  family.  It  would  destroy  very  much  the  pleasure  of  the 
evening's  conversation  if  there  should  be  any  company.  I  shall  expect 
to  see  no  one  but  you,  your  mother,  Miss  Susan  and  Miss  Anne.  And  if  it 
be  possible  I  will  see  you  the  same  evening  of  my  arrival.  I  will  not  dis- 
appoint you.  The  request  you  make  gives  me  great  pleasure.  You  can- 
not imagine  my  anxiety  and  impatience  to  see  you  and  be  with  you  as  the 
time  approaches.  The  ensuing  three  or  four  days  will  appear  long,  very 
long.  Mr.  Ripley,  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  Charleston,  hearing 
that  I  was  going  to  town  after  the  adjournment  of  the  session,  came  tome 
the  other  morning  and  proposed  that  I  should  take  a  seat  with  him  and 
Colonel  Memminger  in  a  coach,  which  will  leave  on  Thursday  morning 
and  go  to  Orangeburgh  that  night,  and  the  next  day  to  Charleston,  and  by 
this  means  avoid  travelling  in  the  night.  I  thanked  him  and  replied  that 
I  had  rather  reach  Charleston  one  day  sooner  and  travel  all  night. 

I  must  beg  you  to  excuse  the  shortness  of  this  letter  as  it  is  late  in  the 
night,  I  have  very  little  leisure  time  to  spare  you.  We  breakfast  at  eight, 
meet  on  committees  at  nine,  and  go  into  the  Legislature  at  ten  o'clock  and 
sit  till  four  in  the  afternoon  ;  adjourn  for  dinner  and  return  at  six,  and  sit 
until  ten  o'clock  at  night.  This  has  been  almost  every  day's  labor  for  a 
week  past,  and  during  the  day  we  are  engaged  in  warm  discussion. 
Saturday  evening  a  spirited  debate  arose  on  closing  the  land  office.  The 
measure  was  advocated  with  great  zeal  and  ability  by  Mr.  Pettigru  and 
Col.  Memminger,  and  opposed  by  me  alone.  The  ayes  and  nays  were 
called,  and  I  gained  the  victory  by  seven  votes  and  defeated  their  bill.  I 
was  proud  of  the  success,  having  contended  alone  against  such  great  odds. 
But  I  was  defeated  the  other  day  by  Mr.  Pettigru  and  Col.  Memminger  in 
my  favorite  scheme  of  blending  the  Courts  of  Law  and  Equity,  and  this, 
I  assure  you,  grieved  me  much. 

I  must  now  bid  you  good  night.  It  will  not  be  long  before  I  can  bid 
you  good-night  more  affectionately.  Oh,  my  darling,  how  exquisite  will 
be  the  pleasure  of  reminding  you  of  the  promise  you  made  me  when  we 
parted.  Oh,  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  on  Thursday  evening,  that  cor- 
dial grasp  of  your  hand,  that  affectionate  "  proof,"  you  remember.  Fare- 
well.    Remember  me  to  the  family.     God  bless  you. 

Yours  affectionately,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


20  Lkttkrs    of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

C01.UMBIA,  January  4th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  have  scarcely  time  to  comply  with  the  promise  I 
made  you  on  Monday  evening.  I  arrived  here  this  morning  about  eight 
o'clock  after  a  most  unpleasant  and  uncomfortable  ride,  attended  with 
various  accidents  and  delays  both  by  car  and  coach.  The  car  did  not 
leave  Charleston  on  Tuesday  morning  till  near  ten  o'clock  in  consequence 
of  the  excessive  cold  weather.  I  rose  at  four  in  the  morning,  dressed,  and  by 
great  good  luck  succeeded  in  rousing  from  his  slumbers  the  watchmaker 
to  whom  I  had  entrusted  my  watch,  and  was  fearful  of  having  to  leave  it. 
I  was  at  the  Depository  at  seven,  had  to  remain  there  and  breakfast  on 
cheese  and  crackers  with  a  cup  of  coffee,  none  of  the  best.  Instead  of 
reaching  the  place  at  one  o'clock  this  morning,  we  did  not  arrive  till 
eight.  The  night  was  very  cold,  and  when  it  began  to  grow  dark,  I  con- 
trasted my  situation  then  with  what  it  had  been  for  eight  or  ten  evenings 
previously,  when  I  was  seated  in  your  drawing-room  before  a  cheerful 
fire  enjoying  the  pleasure  of  a  conversation  with  you,  your  mother  and 
sisters.  I  assure  you,  my  dear  Lizzy,  the  contrast  added  nothing  to  my 
bodily  comfort  and  mental  happiness.  I  have  scarcely  enjoyed  four  hours 
sleep  since  I  left  you,  and  this  morning  have  been  busily  engaged  ever 
since  I  arrived.  You  must,  therefore,  make  all  proper  allowances  for  this 
confused  and  hurried  letter. 

I  have  found  a  much  greater  crowd  in  Columbia  than  when  I  left  for 
Charleston.  But  oh  the  change  from  gentlemen  to  black  legs,  jockeys 
and  cut- throats.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  witnessed  a  more  villainous,  dissi- 
pated looking  set  of  men  in  my  life  than  I  now  find  at  this  hotel.  It  is 
race  week,  and  the  gamblers  from  every  part  of  the  world  seem  to  be  in 
attendance.  At  this  hour,  twelve  o'clock,  they  have  all  gone  to  the  race 
course,  and  the  house  is  quiet.  I  have  seen  carriages  with  ladies  going 
also,  but  am  rather  inclined  to  think  the  fair  ones  will  find  the  weather 
uncomfortably  cold.  I  am  sure  if  they  had  been  riding  in  the  stage  coach 
all  night  last  night  as  I  was,  they  would  do  as  I  am  going  to  do,  not  go 
to  the  race  course  at  all. 

I  find  that  all  my  friends  and  acquaintances  here  were  disposed  to 
congratulate  me,  or  make  some  sly  allusion  to  my  wedding.  I  suppose 
they  will  now  take  it  for  granted  that  I  have  received  a  touch  of  the 
prunella,  as  I  have  returned  from  town  without  being  married.  How 
these  things  can  spread  so  far  and  wide  is  to  me  passing  strange.  But  I 
find  that  rumor  is  always  in  advance  of  truth.  When  I  get  to  Greenville, 
if  the  news  strengthens  as  rapidly  as  it  has  commenced,  I  may  almost 
expect  to  see  my  marriage  announced  in  the  papers.  But  never  mind,  we 
will  make  true  in  April  what  is  now  nothing  more  than  busy  rumor. 


To  Elizabeth  McCali..  21 

I  shall  leave  here  in  the  morning  for  Greenville,  having  arranged  all 
my  business  satisfactorily,  and  shall  expect  to  receive  a  letter  from  you 
on  next  Tuesday  night.  In  fact,  I  write  this  letter  only  for  the  answer 
which  I  expect  from  you  on  Tuesday  next.  When  I  have  more  leisure 
and  am  in  better  spirits  I  will  write  you  a  longer  letter  and  talk  over 
again  various  matters.  I  wish  you  to  write  me  all  the  news  of  the  city, 
and  everything  which  may  occur  to  you  relative  to  my  return  in  April. 
It  is  a  long  time  to  pass  away  before  we  are  to  see  each  other  again — four 
months,  or  nearly  that  length  of  time.  So  we  must  improve  the  time  by 
writing  every  week.  I  will  write  you  every  week  and  shall  expect  you 
to  do  the  same.  And  every  evening  will  remind  me  of  those  delightful 
evenings  I  passed  in  your  society.  The  remembrance  of  them  will  dwell 
with  me  ever,  to  cheer  and  encourage  me  in  life.  By-the-by,  the  kisses 
you  gave  me  on  parting  I  have  been  eating  ever  since,  but  they  are  not  as 
sweet  as  some  you  can  give. 

Farewell,  remember  me,  love  me  and  wear  the  ring  I  gave  you  con- 
stantly. Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters,  and  believe  me  ever 
yours,  B.  F.  Perry. 


Greenville  C.  H.,  January  loth,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  have  been  very  much  disappointed  this  evening 
in  not  receiving  a  letter  from  you.  I  wrote  you  a  very  hurried  letter  in 
Columbia,  which  I  hope  you  received  in  due  time,  and  which  you  prom- 
ised me  to  answer  immediately.  If  you  had  written  on  Friday,  aild  there 
was  no  delay  in  the  mail,  I  should  certainly  have  had  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  from  you  this  evening.  But  fearing  that  you  may  not  have  re- 
ceived my  letter  from  Columbia,  I  have  concluded  to  write  you  again,  and 
at  the  same  time,  remind  you  that  your  promise  was,  to  answer  separately 
all  of  my  letters.  I  shall  therefore  hold  you  now  indebted  to  me  in  two 
letters,  full  three  pages  each. 

There  is  great  pleasure,  my  dear  Lizzy,  in  finding  oneself  at  home 
again,  after  an  absence  of  two  months,  seated  in  his  arm  chair,  before  a 
cheerful,  comfortable  fire,  surrounded  by  his  books  and  papers.  This  is 
my  situation  at  present,  and  if  I  had  you  sitting  with  me  I  should  be  per- 
fectly happy.  Chancellor  Kent  has  said  that  his  books  have  given  him 
more  pleasure  than  anything  else,  save  his  family.  Until  I  saw  you  I 
could  most  heartily  have  responded  to  this  expression  without  any  reser- 


22  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

vation  whatever.  But  if  I  were  now  required  to  refer  to  the  happiest  days 
of  my  life  I  should  mention  those  which  I  so  recently  spent  with  you  in 
Charleston.  Long,  long  will  my  memory  recur  to  them  as  da3^s  of  unal-  * 
loyed  bliss.  You  cannot  imagine,  my  darling,  how  often  they  are  recalled 
to  my  mind — how  often  I  imagine  myself  seated  with  you  on  the  sofa — 
how  distinctly  I  see  you,  3^our  mother.  Miss  Susan  and  Miss  Anne,  "in 
my  minds'  e3^e."  And  how  fondly  do  I  wish  myself  back  again  in  your 
drawing  room  to  spend  another  evening  !  When  these  thoughts  and  wishes 
come  across  my  mind,  I  assure  you  my  books  lose  a  great  deal  of  their 
interest. 

On  my  return  home  I  found  it  reported  far  and  wide  that  I  had  gone 
to  Charleston  to  be  married.  And  so  much  confidence  was  there  placed 
in  the  rumor  that  a  friend  of  mine^  in  an  adjacent  district,  actually  wrote 
me  a  letter  of  congratulation  on  my  recusancy  to  "  single  blessedness  !" 
Surely  this  is  serving  me  a  little  worse  than  Miss  Gratia  Bay  did  you,  on 
her  arrival  in  Charleston  last  Fall. 

Tell  your  mother  that  I  sent  her  letters  and  packages  to  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son, but  have  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  her  myself.  The 
morning  after  my  arrival  here,  Judge  Butler  called  at  my  office  on  his  way 
to  Edgefield,  and  informed  me  that  he  would  be  in  Charleston  in  the  course 
of  a  week  or  two.  He  made  some  jesting  allusions  to  my  visit  to  town 
and  wished  to  know  what  he  should  say  for  me  when  he  saw  you  all.  He 
also  inquired  after  all  of  his  friends  in  Charleston. 

On  my  return  home  I  was  disappointed  to  find  that  little  or  no  pro- 
gress had  been  made  in  building  my  house — the  excuse  is  the  coldness  of 
the  weather.  I  am  assured,  however,  by  the  contractor,  that  the  house 
shall  be  rapidly  built  in  the  Spring  or  as  soon  as  the  Winter  will  permit 
the  laying  of  brick,  plastering  and  so  forth. 

You  may  tell  Mrs.  Croft  that  rather  a  singular  incident  happened  the 
day  after  my  arrival  here.  Doctor  Crittenden's  boy,  Jordan,  who  waited 
on  me  several  years  and  has  been  ever  since  very  much  attached  to  me, 
hearing  that  I  had  returned,  came  to  make  me  a  New  Year's  present  of 
a  beautiful  little  penknife,  which  he  had  found  near  the  Baptist  Church. 
On  looking  at  the  knife  I  discovered  the  initials  "  S.  E.  B."  handsomely 
engraved  on  the  handle.  I  could  not  for  some  time  conjecture  whose  ini- 
tials these  letters  were.  At  length  I  concluded  they  might  be  Mrs.  Croft's 
before  marriage.     Has  she  an  E.  in  her  name  ? 

I  have  not  yet  entirely  recovered  from  the  sad  effects  of  your 
pavements  and  tight  boots.  But  I  am  much  better  than  when  I  left 
Charleston. 


To  EivizABKTH  McCai,i,.  23 

It  is  now  past  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  I  must  bid  you  "  Good- 
night." I  wish  I  could  take  leave  of  you  as  I  did  in  Charleston.  Oh 
that  I  could  only  touch  your  hand  and  say  "  Farewell."  But  even  this 
pleasure  is  denied  me  till  April.  Then  we  meet  to  part  no  more.  God 
bless  you,  dear  lyizzy — farewell. 

B.  F.  Perrv. 


GreEnvilIvK  C.  H.,  January  14th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — Your  letter  of  the  6th  inst.  did  not  reach  this  place 
till  last  night.  I  received  by  the  same  mail  letters  from  Charleston,  dated 
the  9th  inst.  Yours  was  post-marked  three  days  earlier.  But  yet  I  re- 
ceived them  together.  There  is  very  great  irregularity  in  the  mails  lately. 
I  am  truly  surprised  that  you  did  not  receive  my  letter  from  Columbia. 
But  I  am  very  much  gratified  to  know  that  you  did  not  attribute  your 
* '  disappointment, ' '  when  the  servant  returned  from  the  post-office,  to  any 
*'  neglect  "  on  my  part.  No,  Lizzy,  I  never  can  neglect  you — nor  can  I 
violate  the  most  trifling  promise  I  make  you.  If  I  should  ever  fail  to  write 
you,  when  I  ought  to,  and  when  you  are  expecting  a  letter  from  me,  be 
assured  that  it  is  out  of  my  power  to  write,  and  that  you  are  not  "  neg- 
lected." How  grateful  to  rn.y  heart  was  the  expression  in  your  letter — 
"  for  I  think  you  must  have  written . "  It  shows  a  confidence  in  me  which 
I  hope  will  increase  when  we  are  more  intimately  connected. 

You  observe  in  your  letter  that  since  my  departure  your  solitude  has 
been  almost  unbroken,  except  by  the  "  weekly  visitor."  Tell  Miss  Anne 
I  rather  think  the  weekly  visitor  may  soon  become  a  daily  visitor.  I  hope 
3^ou  will,  from  time  to  time,  let  me  know  what  progress  he  is  making.  But 
you  need  not  inform  Miss  Anne  of  this  request.  By  the  by,  I  think  it  not 
at  all  improbable  that  I  may  bring  dowm  with  me  in  April  two  or  three 
beaux.  I  have  just  written  letters  to  them,  giving  an  invitation,  and 
will  let  you  know  if  they  promise  to  accompany  me. 

You  have  a  most  happy  knack  of  mixing  up  in  your  letters  good  and 
evil — or  rather  pleasant  and  unpleasant  associations.  In  the  first  place 
you  remind  me  of  "thirteen  years,"  and  speak  of  the  vast  improvement 
you  expect  to  make  in  epistolary  writing  when  you  get  to  be  as  old 
as  I  am  !  In  the  next  line  you  allude  to  the  pleasure  of  my  ' '  accus- 
tomed visits  "  and  say  how  much  you  miss  them.  I  suppose  you  do  this 
to  make  me  value  more  highly  the  kind  expression  when  it  follows — as  to 
check  that  "vanity"  which  you  seem  to  think  gentlemen  possess.     Now, 


24  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

my  dear  Lizzj^  I  am  quite  free  from  this  feminine  vice.  I  have  no  vanity 
I  hope  you  will  not  accuse  me  of  it  when  I  say  that  I  have  been  so  much 
accustomed  to  look  upon  myself  as  a  young  fellow^  just  entering  life,  that 
I  feel  surprised  when  I  hear  anyone  speak  of  being  thirteen  3-ears  younger 
than  myself.  I  really  cannot  avoid  thinking  myself  quite  a  youth — when 
I  see  Judge  Earle  yet  a  gay  young  man,  and  recollect  that  he  was  an  old 
lawyer  when  I  was  a  lad  reading  in  his  office. 

I  hope  you  have  been  to  see  Miss  Sloane.  She  is  a  clever  little  girl 
and  w411  be  very  thankful  for  any  attention  you  may  pa}-  her.  She  is  also 
a  stranger  in  your  city  and  never  before  from  home.  Since  my  return  to 
Greenville  she  has  written  to  her  mother,  to  thank  me  a  dozen  times  for 
the  visit  I  paid  her  whilst  in  town,  and  that  she  was  never  so  glad  to  see 
anyone  in  her  life.  I  hope  you  will  show  her  some  attention.  When  j^ou 
come  to  Greenville,  Mrs.  Sloane  will  be  our  nearest  neighbor,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  one  of  our  kindest. 

Greenville  is  rapidl}^  improving — there  are  new  houses  being  erected 
constantly — new  stores  opening — and  general  prosperity  seems  to  environ 
it.  What  a  delightful  country  retreat  your  mother  will  have  when  she  set- 
tles here  and  has  a  few  of  her  Charleston  friends  around  her  !  I  hope  your 
aunt,  Mrs.  TurnbuU,  will  visit  us  next  Summer  and  be  induced  to  make  a 
purchase  here.  I  do  assure  you  it  has,  for  several  years  past,  been  my 
firm  conviction  that  the  upper  country  would  ultimately  contain  almost 
all  the  wealth  and  respectability  of  the  lower  country  in  the  Summer  and 
Autumn.  Let  the  great  Western  Railroad  be  finished  to  the  mountains 
and  who  will  stay  in  the  lower  country  during  the  Summer,  exhausted 
with  heat,  annoyed  by  mosquitoes,  and  the  victims  of  fever,  cholera,  etc., 
when  they  can  so  easily  fly  to  a  healthy  region  and  breathe  the  fresh  in- 
vigorating mountain  atmosphere,  drink  good  water  and  have  cool  nights. 
Then  there  is  something  so  grand,  picturesque  and  beautiful  in  the  lofty 
range  of  mountains  which  at  all  tirnes  strike  the  views  of  the  citizen  from 
his  house,  garden  and  farm. 

You  must  write  me  how  all  of  your  friends  are  doing,  and  give  my 
respects  to  them.  I  should  have  been  very  happy  to  have  seen  your  aunts 
again.  Remember  me  particularly  to  Mr.  Pereneau.  I  was  much  pleased 
with  the  goodness,  simplicity  and  philosophy  of  the  old  gentleman.  I 
hope  we  may  be  able  one  day  to  make  him  lose  the  recollection  of  that 
famous  visit  to  Georgetown  in  a  much  longer  one  to  Greenville.  Give 
my  love  to  your  mother.  Miss  Susan  and  Miss  Anne.    Adieu,  my  darling. 

Your  lover, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To  Elizabeth  McCali..  25 

Greenville  C.  H.,  January  21st,  1837. 

My  Dea?'  Lizzy  : — I  received  3  our  letter  of  the  i6th  inst.  last  night, 
and  must  congratulate  you  en  the  impiovement  you  are  making  in  episto- 
lary writing.  Hitherto  your  letters  have  been  about  one  page  and  a  half, 
but  this  one  contains  nearly  three  pages  and  finely  written.  It  is  the 
most  interesting  letter  I  have  ever  received  from  you — more  interesting 
than  any  of  the  ethers,  simply  because  it  is  longer.  I  return  you  my 
sincere  thanks  for  it,  and  hope  that  the  next  one  will  be  still  further  evi- 
dence of  your  improvement.  But  oh,  if  you  could  have  seen  the  outw^ard 
appearance  of  this  letter  when  I  received  it.  The  servant  who  carried  it 
to  the  post-office  for  you  must  have  thrust  it  into  his  bosom  for  safe  keep- 
ing, or  made  a  deposit  of  it  in  his  pantaloon  pockets,  for  I  assure  you  it 
looked  very  much  as  if  it  had  heen  lost  in  a  coal  pit,  or  had  been  blown 
through  the  chimney.  I  inform  }  ou  of  the  fact  because  several  of  your 
letters  have  had  pretty  much  the  same  appearance,  and  it  grieves  and 
vexes  me  to  see  a  paper  coming  from  your  fair  hand  thus  sullied  and 
soiled  b}^  the  careless  negligence  of  a  servant. 

You  seem  almost  to  fear  my  books  as  your  "rival."  No,  Lizzy, 
neither  in  the  devotion  of  my  time,  nor  in  the  idolatry  of  m}^  heart,  need 
you  ever  fear  a  "rival."  Though  I  am  surrounded  by  my  books  and 
derive  from  them  pleasure  unalloyed,  yet  my  thoughts  are  constantly 
with  you.  To  prefer  my  situation  now,  pleasant  and  agreeable  as  it  may 
be,  to  the  evenings  I  spent  in  your  drawing  room,  would  be  treason  to  my 
love.  Those  evenings  were  the  happiest  of  my  life,  and  I  never  can  think 
of  them  without  deep  throbbings  of  my  heart  and  a  sigh  that  they  are 
past.  It  was  then  that  the  fidelity  of  our  love  was  first  sealed  with  a  kiss. 
But  oh,  Lizzy,  when  I  think  of  those  evenings  and  reflect  how  long  it  will 
be  before  we  meet  again,  I  am  almost  phrensied  with  the  thought.  Never 
can  three  months,  and  it  will  be  just  three  months  and  one  day  from  this 
night  until  we  meet,  pass  away  more  slowly.     To  me  it  will  seem  an  age. 

You  say  that  you  love  Charleston  dearly  with  all  of  its  faults,  that 
you  admire  the  Charleston  ladies,  and  ask  me  if  I  do  not.  Yes,  my  dear 
Lizzy,  I  must  feel  some  admiration  for  the  Charleston  ladies  whilst  you 
are  one  of  the  number.  And  if  I  had  no  other  cause  for  loving  the  city, 
the  fact  of  its  being  your  home  and  birthplace  would  be  sufficient  to 
inspire  my  heart  with  that  feeling.  But  Charleston  has  always  been  dear 
to  me.  The  generous  hospitality  and  noble  bearing  of  its  citizens,  their 
refinement,  intellectual  worth  and  literary  taste,  have  always  excited  my 
admiration.  But  above  all,  their  Revolutionary  devotion  to  their  country. 
I  agree  with  you  too  in  thinking  that  a  city  improves  the  manner  and 
tastes  of  ladies .   And  you  might  have  added  the  manne  rs  of  gentlemen  also. 


26  I^ETTERS  OF   BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

But  after  admitting  all  this,  I  must  be  allowed  to  express  a  decided  par- 
tiality for  the  country.  It  is  in  the  country  that  we  are  more  likely  to 
meet  with  simplicity,  sincerity,  virtue,  morality,  patriotism  and  religion. 
There  is  in  the  country  a  freer  thought  and  a  bolder  grasp  of  intellect 
than  are  usually  met  in  the  city.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  very  few 
great  men  in  this  or  in  any  other  country  have  been  born  in  a  large  city. 

I  am  very  much  indebted  to  your  good  Uncle  Pereneau  for  the  very 
favorable  opinion  he  expressed  of  me.  When  he  spoke  of  my  personal 
appearance,  he  must  have  done  so  entirely  in  compliment  to  you.  I  hope 
you  will  present  my  respects  to  him,  and  say  that  it  will  give  me  great 
pleasure  to  see  him  again  in  April. 

And  Miss  Susan  is  to  be  bridesmaid  to  one  of  her  friends  whilst  you 
and  Miss  Anne  are  slighted.  Tell  Miss  Susan  to  beware,  "  one  wedding 
brings  on  another, ' '  is  the  old  adage.  I  hope  you  will  be  first  at  3- our 
own  wedding  before  you  are  at  any  other.  Remind  Miss  Anne  of  her 
promise  to  invite  me  to  her  wedding  provided  it  takes  place  before  ours. 
We  have  had  a  good  many  weddings  in  Greenville  lately,  but  they  are 
rather  obscure  persons.  There  is,  however,  a  ball  to  be  given  a  couple  in 
this  place  on  Tuesday  evening  next.  They  will  have  fine  weather  for 
dancing. 

I  go  nowhere,  visit  no  one  and  hear  but  very  little  news  of  the  vil- 
lage. Mrs.  Thompson  came  to  the  Mansion  House  the  other  day  and  said 
to  Mrs.  Coleman  that  she  wished  to  know  when  I  was  going  back  to 
Charleston,  for  she  had  some  message  or  bundle  to  send.  I  replied  that 
if  she  was  in  a  hurry  to  send  it,  she  had  better  not  wait  for  me  to  carry  it. 
Mrs.  Coleman  inquires  very  kindly  after  j^ou,  your  mother  and  sisters.  I 
am  really  ashamed  of  myself  in  not  having  yet  been  to  see  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son after  promising  your  mother  that  I  would  do  so.  But  business,  cold 
w^eather,  etc.,  are  my  only  excuses. 

I  am  beginning  to  want  some  book  to  read.  I  received  two  boxes  of 
books  the  other  day,  but  they  were  all  law  books,  and  among  them  were 
two  or  three  volumes  which  had  been  printed  two  hundred  years.  They 
can  hardly  be  called  "new  books."  Have  you  read  the  "  Mysteries  of 
Udolpho  "  ?  But  it  is  now  eleven  o'clock  at  night  and  I  am  all  alone  and 
ought  not  mention  this  terrible  book.  Good-night.  I  wish  I  could  take 
farewell  of  you  as  I  have  done.  Adieu. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To  Elizabeth  McCall.  27 

» 

*     GrkenviIvLE  C.  H.,  January  26th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  was  again  vety  much  disappointed  in  not  receiv- 
ing last  evening  a  letter  from  you.  Two  of  my  letters  are  now  unan- 
answered,  and  although  I  have  not  written  to  you  for  a  week  past,  I  was 
almost  disposed  not  to  write  again  until  I  received  a  letter  from  you.  But 
inasmuch  as  your  last  communication  was  so  much  longer  than  any  pre- 
vious one,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I  ought  to  write  you  two 
letters  for  it  by  way  of  encouragement  for  the  progress  you  are  making  in 
your  correspondence.  I  must  insist,  however,  on  you  paying  your  debts 
and  answering  separately  all  of  my  letters.  If  you  only  knew  the  very 
great  pleasure  which  your  letters  afford  me,  I  am  sure  you  would  write 
every  week.  I^et  me  insist  that  hereafter  you  write  "me  every  Monday; 
and  send  the  letters  to  the  post-office  in  the  evening  before  the  mail  closes, 
and  I  will  then  be  certain  to  receive  them  on  Friday  night,  and  you  may 
be  certain  that  I  will  write  you  ever}^  Saturday  evening,  so  that  my  letters 
will  reach  3^ou  (5n  Thursday  morning.     Remember  now. 

I  wrote  you  some  time  since  that  I  had  written  to  two  or  three  beaux 
to  accompany  me  in  April.  I  received  letters  in  reply  this  week  from  two 
of  my  friends,  Colonels  Fair  and  Herndon,  accepting  my  invitations  and 
promising  that  nothing  on  earth  shall  prevent  them  going  with  me.  They 
both  express  great  joy  at  the  tidings  which  I  communicated,  but  say  that 
it  gives  them  melancholj'  reflections  to  think  that  they  are  still  old  bache- 
lors. Colonel  Herndon  avows  his  determination  to  follow  my  example, 
and  intimates  that  he  will  make  a  bold  effort  in  Charleston.  Colonel 
Fair  writes  me  that  he  had  the  pleasure  of  3' our  acquaintance  last  Summer 
twelve-month,  and  that  he  was  much  pleased  with  you.  He  mentions 
rather  a  singular  coincidence.  The  night  he  received  my  letter,  he  also 
received  one  from  Mr.  Anderson,  of  Charleston,  requesting  his  "  assist- 
ance "  to  marry  him  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Kincaid,  on  the  evening  of  the  ist 
of  Februar>^  He  says  he  became  acquainted  with  you  and  Miss  Kin- 
caid at  the  same  time,  admired  both  of  you,  that  eighteen  months  have 
passed  by  without  his  hearing  from  or  seeing  either  of  you,  and  that  on 
the  same  night  he  received  letters  inviting  him  to  both  of  your  weddings. 

I  may  invite  two  or  three  other  friends  to  accompany  me.  Judge 
Earle  is  now  in  Florida  ;  on  his  return  I  must,  of  course,  extend  an  invi- 
tation to  him,  and  if  he  can  leave  the  Spring  Circuit  in  time  to  get  to 
Charleston  on  the  25th  of  April,  I  think  he  will  do  so.  Mr.  P.  B. 
Duncan  will  also  probably  go  down  with  me.  I  had  a  thought  of  inviting 
Colonel  Simkins  and  also  Mr.  L.  Toomer,  but  I  am  afraid  of  carrying  too 
many.  I  do  not  like  a  crowd.  I  wish  you  to  write  me  on  this  subject. 
You  must  let  me  know  how  many  attendants  3^ou  expect  to  have  so  that  I 


28  lyETTERS  OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

may  select  a  corresponding  number  of  groomsmen.     You  must  also  write 
me  who  they  are,  and  I  will  select  beaux  suitable  for  them. 

I  received  a  letter  by  the  last  mail  from  an  old  uncle  of  mine  in  Ala- 
bama (who  is  rich  and  has  no  children),  in  reply  to  one  I  wTote  him  some 
time  since,  informing  him  of  my  engagement  and  saying  a  great  many 
pretty  things  in  3^our  favor.  The  old  man  writes  back  to  me  that  I  have 
given  him  "the  description  of  an  angel  and  not  of  a  woman,"  that  I  have 
attributed  to  you  * '  more  amiable  traits  of  character  than  belong  to  human 
nature, ' '  and  he  very  good  humoredly  advises  me  not  to  expect  too  much 
lest  I  be  deceived.  I  shall  write  the  old  man  a  good  deal  of  sentimental 
philosophy  in  reply. 

Greenville  village  has  been  quite  gay  for  several  days  past,  balls, 
parties  and  theatres.  I  have  been  to  neither.  Like  a  student  and  a  man 
of  business,  I  have  been  attending  to  my  professional  duties.  Since  my 
return  from  Charleston  I  have  been  so  much  engaged  in  business  that  I 
have  not  had  as  much  time  to  devote  to  my  books,  "  your  rivals,"  as  I 
could  wish.  You  must  not  be  jealous,  for  I  have  written  you  twice  to 
your  once.  It  is  well  that  I  returned  from  Charleston  as  soon  as  I  did, 
otherwise  I  should  have  lost  much  in  the  way  of  my  profession.  In  the 
last  three  weeks  it  has  yielded  me  in  money  received  for  fees  and  costs, 
more  than  five  hundred  dollars.  Had  I  remained  in  town,  a  large  portion 
of  this  would  have  been  lost  to  me. 

I  have  just  seen  Mr.  Duncan,  w^ho  informs  me  that  he  received  a 
letter  last  night  from  Miss  Sloan,  in  which  she  speaks  of  her  visit  to  j^ou, 
and  how  much  she  w^as  pleased  with  it,  etc. 

As  you  are  already  in  my  debt  two  letters,  I  will  not  trespass  any 
further  on  your  time  at  present,  but  wait  until  I  receive  a  letter  from  you, 
which  I  know  ' '  must  "  be  on  Tuesday  evening  next.  Give  my  love  to 
your  mother  and  sisters,  and  remember  me  to  all  of  our  friends  and 
acquaintances. 

God  bless  you.     Ever  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To   ElylZABETH   McCaLL.  29 

GrkenviIvIvB  C.  H.,  February  3d,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — Your  kind,  very  interesting,  and  long  letter,  bear- 
ing date  the  24th  ult. ,  did  not  reach  me  until  two  days  since.  I  have 
read  it  over  a  dozen  times,  and  am  really  delighted  with  the  ' '  improve- 
ment ' '  you  are  making  in  your  correspondence.  Your  first  letter  to  me 
was  very  little  more  than  one  page,  and  your  last  is  full  three  pages  !  I 
hope  you  will  continue  to  "improve"  in  the  same  manner  until  you 
begin  to  write  across  your  letters,  or  send  me  a  couple  of  sheets  in  one 
letter. 

I  thank  you,  my  dear  Lizzy,  a  hundred  times  over,  for  your  last  let- 
ter, and  am  now  both  glad  and  sorry  that  I  wrote  you  last  week  with- 
out having  received  an  answer  to  two  of  my  former  letters.  I  am  glad 
because  your  last  letter  deserves  two  in  reply — and  I  am  sorry  because  I 
rather  censured  you  for  negligence  in  not  writing.  I  hope,  however,  you 
will  excuse  my  impatience,  and  attribute  it  to  the  natural  anxiety  of  my 
love.  For  really  it  is  a  source  of  inconceivable  disappointment  to  fail 
in  receiving  a  letter  from  you,  when  one  is  expected.  If  it  were  not  for 
our  correspondence  I  should  be  under  the  necessity  of  throwing  aside  my 
business  here,  and  posting  off  to  Charleston  with  a  view  of  urging  you  to 
an  immediate  union.  And  I  assure  you  it  was  with  great  reluctance  that 
I  consented  to  its  postponement  till  April,  even  with  the  certainty  of  a 
weekly  correspondence. 

It  was  very  kind  in  your  aunt,  Mrs.  Hayne,  not  to  wish  to  trespass 
on  your  time  when  you  were  engaged  in  writing  to  me.  I  hope  you  will 
present  her  my  thanks  for  her  very  generous  consideration  ;  and  say  to 
her  that  when  you  are  living  in  Greenville,  3^ou  will  write  to  her  the 
oftener  for  it.  Oh  !  Lizzy,  the  idei  of  your  living  in  Greenville  fills  my 
mind  with  a  thousand  delightful  associations.  You  will  then  be  mine — 
with  me  united  in  love  and  by  marriage  as  one  person,  living  only  for 
each  other's  happiness.  How  delightful  !  how  exquisite  the  anticipation  ! 
But  it  causes  a  deep  sigh  when  I  think  that  two  months  and  a  half  have 
yet  to  roll  round  before  these  anticipations  are  to  be  realized.  But  you 
have  so  willed  it  and  I  must  submit. 

Mr. "  has  spoken  "  to  Miss  Anne,  and  you  think  he  is  "  gen- 
erous ' '  in  giving  her  some  time  to  consider  of  the  matter.  It  is  true  that 
ladies  do  generally  take  time  to  ' '  consider, "  but  it  is  equally  true  that 
there  is  no  reason  for  it.  If  they  would  only  ask  the  heart  one  question, 
Does  it  love  ?  they  will  find  in  the  response  given  a  ready  answer  for 
their  anxious  suitor.  If  the  heart  loves,  that  love  will  be  felt  and  known 
without  much  consideration.  And  love  is  a  passion,  not  of  slow  growth 
and  long,  tedious  culture.     It  is  a  feeling  as  quick  as  it  is  pure,  holy  and 


30  I^KTTKRS  OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

disinterested.  Ladies  may  say  what  they  please  about  not  loving  till*  the 
gentleman  has  told  his  love  and  they  have  had  time  to  consider  of  it.  I 
never  have  believed  it.  It  is  inconsistent  with  our  nature.  No  lady  can 
be  so  blind  as  not  to  see  when  she  is  loved,  and  she  quickly  knows  whether 
it  is  reciprocal;  every  impulse  of  her  heart  tells  her,  whether  she  inquires 
or  not. 

It  is  not,  however,  my  intention  to  give  j^ou  an  abstract,  philosophical 
treatise  on  love.  I  only  wish  to  correct  a  mistaken  notion  of  yours  on 
this  subject.  I  think  that  love,  being  quickly  felt,  should  be  promptly 
told,  and  that  it  is  "  generous  ' '  on  the  part  of  the  lady  to  give  an  imme- 
diate answer.  If  she  loves,  it  is  generous  in  her  to  say  so,  and  if  she  does 
not  love,  it  is  noble  in  her  to  give  an  immediate  refusal.  You  recollect, 
my  dear  darling,  how  impatient  I  was  in  urging  my  own  address,  nor  did 
I  think  that  I  was  ungenerous  in  my  earnest  solicitude  for  an  answer  from 
you.  When  we  feel  so  deeply  as  I  felt,  we  must  necessarily  be  exceedingly 
anxious  to  know  our  doom. 

I  have  argued  this  question  on  the  principle  that  a  lady  should  be 
governed  solely  by  her  love.  There  may,  however,  be  exceptions.  No 
lady  should  ever  think,  for  an  instant,  of  marrying  a  man  without  she 
loves.  No  lady  can  do  so.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  indignant  scowl  of 
Judge  Huger  to  a  lady  in  my  presence,  some  years  since,  who  urged  that 
there  might  be  instances  where  it  would  be  proper  for  a  match  to  be 
found  on  convenience  without  love!  "Tell  me,"  said  he  "that  a 
virtuous  woman  can  marry  a  man  she  don't  love  ! "  "  No,  never."  But 
there  might  be  instances  where  it  would  be  most  unfortunate  for  a  lady 
to  marry  a  gentleman  although  she  loved  him.  His  character  might  be 
such  as  to  make  it  unfortunate.  But  really,  my  dear  Lizzy,  I  am  worrj^- 
ing  out  your  patience  in  burdening  you  to  read  so  prosing  a  letter  as  I 
am  now  writing.  I  have  indeed  forgotten  myself.  Love  is  a  subject, 
which,  very  often,  makes  one  forget  what  we  are  doing. 

You  observe  in  your  last  letter  that  you  will  leave  me  '  *  to  guess  what 
portion  of  your  thoughts  are  about  me."  If  I  were,  my  dearest,  to  judge 
of  your  thought  by  my  own,  I  should  indeed  "  guess  "  quite  liberally,  so 
much  so  that  you  might  accuse  me  of  "vanity  "  once  more.  But  judg- 
ing without  this  rule,  I  will  only  suppose  you  think  of  me  occasionally, 
and  that  when  you  do  it  is  always  with  kindness  and  love.  I  am  rather 
afraid  that  my  thoughts  are  too  much  devoted  to  you,  and  that  I  think 
too  little  of  my  books  and  business.  I  am  well  assured  that  I  do  not  read 
with  the  same  interest  that  I  formerly  did.  Law  books  are  exceedingly 
dull,  and  new  works  are  out  of  my  reach. 


To   KlvIZABKTH    McCaLI..  3 1 

A  friend  of  mine  presented  me  the  other  da}^  with  the  first  volume  of 
Aaron  Burr's  Life  and  Correspondence.  It  is  very  interesting  and  I  was 
delighted  wdth  the  correspondence  between  Colonel  Burr  and  his  w^ife. 
His  letters  to  Mrs.  Burr  evince  more  of  love,  kindness  and  affection  than 
I  thought  it  possible  for  a  heart  so  infamous  as  his  to  possess.  There  is 
also  a  letter  from  Colonel  Alston  to  Miss  Burr,  whilst  he  was  addressing 
her,  on  the  subject  of  early  marriages,  which  I  read  with  great  pleasure. 
It  is  remarkably  well  written  and  argues  the  question  with  great  ability. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  intend  to  learn  to  play  some  pretty  songs 
on  the  guitar  for  me — and  although  I  have  no  ear  for  music,  yet  I  shall 
always  have  an  ear  for  your  songs,  no  matter  whether  they  are  pretty 
ones  or  ugly  ones  ;  your  sweet  voice  will  make  them  appear  pretty  whether 
they  are  so  or  not. 

You  inform  me  that  Major  Robert  Y.  Hayne  has  disposed  of  his  prop- 
erty in  Alabama,  abandoned  the  spirit  of  emigration,  returned  home  and 
thinks  there  is  no  place  like  good  old  Carolina.  Tell  him  that  although 
his  friends  may  censure  his  prudence,  they  must  nevertheless  approve 
those  feelings  and  affections  for  his  native  soil  which  prompted  his  return. 
I  have  long  thought  that  the  American  people  were  too  much  character- 
ized for  their  spirit  of  emigration  and  constant  change  of  domicile.  My 
opinion  has  ever  been  that  such  a  spirit  destroys  in  a  great  measure  that 
amor patrice,  that  love  of  country  which  ought  to  bum,  with  a  pure  and 
unquenchable  flame,  in  the  bosom  of  every  American.  It  is  impossible 
for  any  one  to  have  local  attachment  who  is  constantly  moving,  and  local 
attachment  is  patriotism.  The  serf  of  Russia,  who  is  sold  with  the  glebe, 
but  who  lives  where  his  fathers  lived  for  centuries  before  him,  has,  I  have 
no  doubt,  that  amor  patrice  more  strongly  implanted  in  his  bosom  than 
the  Republican  citizen  of  America,  who,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  moves 
into  a  dozen  States,  and  at  last  is  ready  to  exchange  his  home  once  more 
for  Texas  or  the  banks  of  the  Oregon. 

It  is  just  so,  my  dear  Lizzy,  with  the  affections  of  the  heart :  they  are 
weakened  every  time  they  are  changed  or  transferred.  The  heart  that 
has  often  loved  cannot  love  ?  No  one  who  has  the  slightest  knowledge 
of  human  nature  would  ever  think  of  finding  an  arduous,  disinterested 
and  devoted  attachment  in  the  bosom  of  a  reigning  fashionable  belle,  a 
belle  who  has  been  courted,  admired  and  loved  by  thousands,  and  who, 
in  return,  has  dissipated  every  affection  of  her  heart  among  the  crowd 
of  beaux  by  whom  she  has  been  surrounded.  Hence,  my  dear  Lizzy,  is 
the  value  of  first  love,  not  only  in  your  sex  but  in  mine  also.  There  is  a 
magic  charm  about  it  above  all  consideration. 


32  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

In  speaking  of  "vanity,"  you  remark  that  you  will  not  say  whether 
you  are  free  of  it,  but  will  leave  me  to  determine  for  myself.  In  the 
honest  sincerity  of  my  heart,  my  dearest,  I  believe  you  are  as  free  of  that 
*  *  empty  pride  ' '  as  any  one  of  yonr  sex.  It  was  your  girlish  simplicity 
and  innocence  of  nature,  connected  with  your  beauty  and  intelligence 
which  first  won  my  heart.  Vanity  is  never  united  with  good  sense.  There 
may  be  persons  highly  gifted  who  are  vain,  but  they  are  wanting  in  com- 
mon sense,  or  they  would  not  possess  this  peculiar  weakness. 

You  are  very  kind,  my  dear  Lizzy,  in  saying  that  if  either  of  us  was 
under  the  necessity  of  having  a  few  years  added  to  our  present  ages,  you 
would  let  me  "  bear  the  weight  of  them."  I  know  the  spirit  in  which 
this  remark  is  made,  and  am  pleased  at  it.  But  it  affords  me  so  good  an 
opportunity  of  being  facetious,  that  I  cannot  forego  it.  The  remark 
reminds  me  of  a  jest  which  I  have  often  heard  the  lamented  Warren  R. 
Davis  repeat  in  his  merry  moods.  '  *  There  was  a  man  and  his  wife  who 
did  not  live  on  the  most  amicable  terms,  but  who  were  always  professing 
great  love  of  each  other  in  company.  One  day,  in  order  to  show  his  ex- 
treme tenderness,  the  husband  observed  to  his  wife  most  affectionately, 
that  he  hoped  she  would  die  first !  The  loving  spouse,  a  little  piqued  at 
so  strange  a  remark,  inquired  the  cause  of  this  tender  wish,  the  husband 
replied  :  "  I  think,  my  dear,  I  can  stand  grief  better  than  you  can  !"  He 
was  afraid  that  if  he  died  first,  it  would  give  his  wife  too  much  distress  of 
mind,  and  did  not  like  to  think  of  her  being  made  so  *'  unhappy."  As 
it  is  likely,  according  to  the  order  of  human  nature,  that  the  oldest  should 
die  first,  you  may,  my  dear  Lizzy,  think  with  the  tender  husband  that 
you  can  bear  grief  better  than  I  can.  However,  you  must  excuse  my 
facetiousness.     I  love  you  the  better  for  the  remark. 

I  hope  that  Major  Hayne's  remark  about  Miss  and  Mr.  is  not 

correct,  and  that  although  they  are  out  of  sight,  they  will  not  be  out  of 
each  other's  mind,  but  that  having  proven  the  strength  of  their  affection, 
they  will  be  both  willing  next  Summer  to  make  a  mutual  pledge  before 
some  reverend  clergyman. 

You   seem   to  sympathize  with  M ,  and  reall}^  his   situation 

deserves  our  sympathy.  I  cannot  imaging  a  more  mortifying  situation 
than  that  of  being  discarded  after  the  affections  of  the  heart  have  been 
given,  perhaps  unalterably,  after  they  have  been  nurtured  by  the  kindness 
and  reciprocated  love  of  her  whom  he  adores  ! 

But,  my  darling,  I  must  bring  this  long  tiresome  letter  to  a  close.  I 
know  it  must  be  tiresome  to  you,  and  I  ought  to  apologize  for  writing  so 
much.  I  hope,  however,  you  will  punish  me  in  the  same  way.  If  you 
are  the  least  otit  of  patience,  when  you  have  finished  reading  this  letter, 


To  EivizABKTH  McCali,.  33 

let  me  advise  you  to  sit  down  and  through  sheer  spite  write  me  a  letter  of 
the  same  length. 

Give  my  love  and  kind  remembrance  to  your  mother  and  sisters  and 
all  of  our  friends.     Farewell,  my  dear,  sweet  girl. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


GrkknviIvIvE  C.  H.,  February  nth,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — Yours  of  the  ist  inst.  was  received  this  week.  It 
gave  me  great  pleasure,  and  I  read  it  over  as  I  do  all  of  your  letters  until 
I  almost  have  it  by  heart. 

It  may  be,  my  dear  Lizzy,  that  in  my  zeal  and  partiality  for  the 
country  and  a  country  life,  I  said  too  much  in  favor  of  my  own  peculiar 
notions  on  the  subject.  I  do  not  now  recollect  what  I  did  say,  but  you 
seem  to  differ  with  me  as  to  the  country  having  been  more  productive  of 
great  men  than  cities.  I  am  glad  you  alluded  to  the  expression,  as  it 
affords  me  an  opportunity  of  saying  a  few  words  in  explanation. 

I  had  reference  more  particularly  to  the  United  States  when  I 
observed  that  it  was  ' '  remarkable  how  few  great  men  have  been  born  in 
cities."  When  we  take  into  consideration  the  superior  wealth,  intelli- 
gence, refinement  and  opportunities  for  the  development  of  talent  in  large 
cities,  we  would  naturally  infer  that  almost  all  great  men  were  born  there. 
But  this  has  not  been  the  case.  All  of  our  Presidents,  without  a  single 
exception,  were  born  in  the  country.  Chief  Justice  Marshall  and  Chan- 
cellor Kent,  two  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists  that  the  United  States 
ever  has  or  ever  can  produce,  were  born  in  the  country.  Alexander 
Hamilton,  who,  in  my  opinion,  was  the  most  able  and  highly  gifted  man 
of  whom  America  can  boast,  was  born  in  the  West  India  plains,  far 
removed  from  a  city.  Patrick  Henry,  the  most  eloquent  of  all  the  Revo- 
lutionary orators,  was  emphatically  a  rustic  by  birth  and  education.  The 
three  most  distinguished  men  now  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States — 
Clay,  Webster  and  Calhoun — were  born  in  the  country.  To  these  dis- 
tinguished names  I  may  also  with  great  propriety  add  those  of  Messrs. 
c/U^Dufl&e,  Hayne  and  Preston. 

But,  my  dear  lyizzy,  let  us  refer  to  England.  I  hope  you  will  indulge 
me  a  few  minutes  longer.  Shakespeare,  the  greatest  of  English  poets, 
never  saw  a  city  till  he  was  twenty-one  or  twenty-two  years  old.  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  with  whom  no  one  can  be  compared  for  the  extraordinary  splen- 
dor of  his  genius,  was  born  in  the  country.     Oliver  Cromwell,  the  most 


34  lyETTKRS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

lemarkable  man  that  England  ever  produced,  was  a  ntative  of  the  country. 
So  was  Dry  den,  and  so  was  Dr.  Johnson.  The  Karl  of  Chatham,  distin- 
guished alike  for  the  nobleness  of  his  nature,  the  fire  and  magnificence  of 
his  eloquence  and  his  vast  comprehensive  statistics  as  a  statesman,  was 
bom  in  the  country.  I  might  mention  lyocke  and  a  hundred  others  dis- 
tinguished in  philosophy,  eloquence  and  war.  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the 
most  wonderful  man  that  ever  lived,  he  who  raised  himself  from  an 
humble  condition  in  life,  to  be  the  master  of  kings,  emperors  and  princes  ; 
he  who  portioned  out  amongst  his  brothers  and  sisters  kingdoms  and 
principalities  as  if  there  was  nothing  less  than  an  empire  worthy  of  being 
received  as  a  gift  at  his  hands — he  ' '  was  born  in  the  country. ' ' 

If  we  were  to  turn  to  classic  history,  we  should  see  that  Alexander 
the  Great  was  born  at  Pella,  and  Aristotle  at  Stagira,  places  which  were 
anything  else  than  cities.  Cicero,  with  all  of  his  finished  and  thrilling 
eloquence,  profound  philosophy  and  sterling  patriotism,  was  born  in  the 
countr}^  But,  my  dear  Lizzy,  I  will  have  some  compassion  on  your 
patience,  I  will  stop  before  you  begin  to  wish  me  not  to  write  at  all,  unless 
I  can  write  about  something  of  more  interest. 

You  are  very  much  mistaken,  lyizzy,  if  you  suppose,  for  an  instant, 
that  the  outward  appearance  of  your  letters  would  in  any  wa}^  diminish 
the  pleasure  which  they  afford  me.  I  only  mentioned  the  fact  communi- 
cated in  my  letter,  because  it  mortified  me  to  see  anything  which  I  hold 
so  sacred  as  your  letters,  sullied  or  abused.  That  holy  devotion  of  heart 
with  which  I  view  your  letters,  can  be  compared  to  nothing  more  aptly 
than  that  sacred  love  and  religious  veneration  with  which  a  "true  believer 
of  Mahomet ' '  looks  upon  every  page  of  the  Koran.  And  as  soon  would 
a  faithful  Mussulman  think  of  offering  disrespect  to  the  writings  of  his 
Prophet,  as  J  should  of  seeing  your  letters  abused  without  interposing  to 
rescue  them.  I  intend  to  have  them  bound  in  a  volume  like  the  albums, 
in  the  very  richest  style. 

We  have,  for  eight  or  ten  days  past,  had  some  charming,  delightful 
weather.  The  thermometer  was  as  high  as  50°  or  60°  Fahrenheit  at 
sunrise.  Everything  has  the  appearance  of  an  approaching  Spring.  I 
have  been  to-day  engaged  in  planting  out  the  mountain  locust  all  around 
my  lot.     This  tree  makes  a  beautiful  shade  and  is  of  very  rapid  growth. 

You  tell  me  that  during  the  Winter  in  Charleston,  you  can  scarcely 
call  a  minute  of  time  your  own.  How  differently  we  are  situated  in  the 
country.  Every  minute  here  is  our  own  and  at  our  own  disposal.  But  I 
have  already  said  enough  about  the  country  and  a  country  life.  The 
following  is,  however,  the  manner  in  which  my  time  passes.  I  rise  in  the 
morning,  dress,  and  go  to  breakfast  at  half  after  seven.     I  return  from 


To  Elizabeth  McCall.  35 

breakfast  at  eight  and  read  till  eleven  or  twelve,  am  then  engaged  an  hour 
or  two  [in  business,  and  go  to  dinner  at  half  after  one,  return  and  am 
engaged  in  writing  or  consultation  with  clients  till  three  or  four,  then  I 
read  till  tea,  at  early  candle-light ;  from  tea  till  ten  o'clock  at  night  I  am 
reading  or  writing.     This  is  literally  true  every  day. 

Adieu,  my  dear  Lizzy, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


GrkenviIvIvK  C.  H.,  February  12th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  will  write  you  this  letter  in  the  form  of  a  diary. 
It  is  a  mode  of  corresponding  which  you  once  suggested  to  me,  and  which 
I  now  recommend  you  to  adopt.  Write  every  day  the  occurrences  of  the 
day  and  the  thoughts  which  are  suggested  to  your  mind.  This  you  can 
do  with  less  inconvenience  than  myself,  having  more  leisure  and  not  so 
liable  to  be  interrupted  whilst  writing.  I  do  assure  you,  Lizzy,  that  such 
a  journal  will  be  exceedingly  interesting,  and  place  me  under  additional 
obligations  to  your  kindness,  and  you  will  not  then  be  fatigued  with  the 
trouble  of  writing  a  long  letter  at  one  sitting. 

To-day  is  the  Sabbath.  I  went  to  church  in  the  forenoon  and  heard 
a  most  excellent  sermon  from  Mr.  Spaulding,  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church 
in  this  village.  It  was  on  "  Faith  and  Works."  His  illustrations  were 
most  happy  and  convincing,  and  I  thought  not  in  accordance  with  the 
sectarian  notions  of  his  denomination.  Although  I  have  usually  attended 
from  my  infancy  the  Baptist  Church,  and  have  always  contributed  to  the 
support  of  a  clergyman  of  that  church,  yet  my  religious  notions  and  prin- 
ciples have  always  inclined  to  the  Methodist  creed.  I  believe  that  man  is 
a  free  agent,  and  only  as  a  free  agent  can  be  responsible  for  his  acts  in 
this  life.  I  eschew  predestination  and  believe  that  we  are  saved  by  good 
works  and  not  blind  faith.  I  believe  that  we  may  at  one  period  of  our 
lives  be  worthy  of  eternal  salvation,  and  afterwards  fall  from  this  happy 
state.  The  liberal  Christian  spirit  with  which  the  Episcopalians  are 
governed  in  their  intercourse  with  the  world,  has  ever  received  my  highest 
admiration.  I  believe  there  is  less  of  fanaticism  in  their  church  discipline 
than  is  to  be  found  even  with  the  Methodist.  But  it  is  your  church, 
Lizzy,  and  I  should  be  partial  to  it  on  that  account,  if  on  no  other. 

Monday  13th. — I  have  spent  this  day  pretty  much  in  reading  and 
consultation  with  my  clients.  In  the  evening  I  took  a  walk  ' '  through 
town  "  with  my  friend  Colonel  Towns,  and  examined  and  admired  all  the 


36  LETTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

improvements  of  our  little  village.  We  discussed  the  prosperity  and 
flourishing  condition  of  the  upper  country,  and  that  of  Greenville  in  par- 
ticular. We  spoke  of  the  wonderful  change  which  the  mountain  region  of 
Carolina  was  destined  to  undergo  in  a  few  years.  Nature  has  done  much 
for  this  region  of  country,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  it  will 
present  all  the  improvements  to  be  seen  in  the  most  flourishing  portions 
of  the  New  England  States.  Greenville  must  become  a  manufacturing 
district — water-power,  health,  cheapness  of  labor  and  the  mineral  produc- 
tions of  our  county  will  force  us  to  become  a  manufacturing  people. 
When  this  does  happen,  and  it  is  already  beginning,  wealth  must  come  to 
us  from  all  parts.  Investments  of  capital  will  be"  made  in  our  cotton  fec- 
tories,  iron  manufacturing  companies,  etc.,  from  the  north,  the  lower 
country  and  the  southwest. 

Tuesday  14th. — My  dear  Lizzy,  I  have  just  been  to  the  post-ofiice 
and  received  your  letter  of  the  7th  inst.  It  has  been  seven  days  in  reach- 
ing me.  I  will  never  be  so  "  uncharitable  ' '  again  as  to  suspect  that  you 
have  not  written  when  I  am  disappointed  in  receiving  a  letter  from  you. 
But  you  know,  my  darling,  it  is  human  nature  to  fear  the  worst  and  hope 
for  the  best.  Your  letters  afford  me  so  much  pleasure  that  the  disappoint- 
ment is  almost  intolerable. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  it  is  uncertain  whether  you  are  to  be  Miss 
Anne's  bridesmaid  or  she  yours.  I  hope,  as  you  are  the  younger,  that 
you  will  give  the  preference  to  Miss  Anne.  But  I  am  not  so  certain  that 
I  ought  to  be  so  generous  as  thus  to  yield  my  claims  to  being  your 
mother's  first  son-in-law.  It  is  a  distinction  not  to  be  sold  for  a  "  mess  of 
pottage,"  though  it  may  be  yielded  in  the  spirit  of  chivalry.  You  must 
let  me  know  what  arrangements  are  made.  And  you  must  also  inform 
me  as  to  your  own  attendants  as  soon  as  convenient,  the  number  espe- 
cially. I  have  added  two  more  bachelors  to  my  list — W.  F.  Gantt  and 
Colonel  Towns.  At  present  I  have  invited  Colonels  Fair  and  Herndon, 
R.  B.  Duncan,  W,  F.  Gantt  and  Colonel  Towns.  Judge  Karle  is  to  be 
added  whenever  he  returns.  Fair,  Herndon,  Gantt  and  Towns  will  be 
pretty  certain  to  accompany  me,  but  I  am  under  no  obligation  to  make 
them  all  groomsmen. 

You  seem  to  think  it  something  very  strange  that  we  should  have  so 
many  bachelors  in  the  upper  country,  and  you  very  naturally  inquire  if 
their  hearts  are  not  susceptible,  or  if  the  young  ladies  are  not  capable  of 
inspiring  them  with  love  ?  The  query  is  one  of  difficulty,  and  in  order  to 
solve  it  you  will  have  to  inquire  of  each  old  bachelor  the  particular  reason 
of  his  own  case.  But  there  is  even  a  difficulty  then.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  old  bachelors  have  too  much  of  the  true  spirit  and  honor  of  gallantry 


To  K1.1ZABKTH  McCall.  37 

to  reflect  so  seriously  on  the  fair  sex  as  to  say  that  the  ladies  in  the  upper 
country  are  ''so  inferior  that  they  cannot  produce  an  impression." 
Sooner  would  every  old  bachelor  confess  the  fault  to  be  his  own,  and  that 
his  heart  is  without  a  tender  feeling  or  a  noble  impulse.  And  this  too 
would  be  a  most  grievous,  heart-rending  confession  for  an  old  bachelor  to 
make. 

I^et  me  tell  you,  the  very  remark  you  have  made  about  the  old  bache- 
lors of  my  suit  was  predicted  by  one  of  them.  Mr.  Gantt  said  that  so 
many  old  bachelors  would  certainly  excite  some  remarks  or  witticisms. 
They  are  all,  however,  handsome,  fine  looking  old  fellows,  and  I  am 
fearful  they  will  smite  the  heart  of  many  a  Charleston  belle  before  they 
leave  the  city.  You  had  better  tell  the  young  ladies  to  guard  well  their 
hearts,  for  some  gallant  assaults  may  be  expected. 

Wednesday  15th. — I  have  been  to-day  making  an  experiment  in 
transplanting  a  small  ash  tree.  Everyone  tells  me  it  will  not  live,  that 
the  tree  is  too  large,  but  I  am  disposed  to  think  differently.  It  will  make 
my  grove  of  ashes  much  more  beautiful  should  it  only  live.  The  fine 
house  which  Mrs.  Thompson  speaks  of  is  making  slow  progress.  The 
contractor  assures  me,  however,  that  it  will  go  on  more  rapidly  after  the 
Winter  is  over.  1  am  rather  inclined  to  think  too  that  we  shall  both  be 
too  great  novices  in  housekeeping,  to  wish  to  commence  immediately. 
And  we  shall  wish  to  spend  a  month  or  two,  or  three  or  four  mouths  after 
our  marriage  without  the  ' '  botheration  ' '  of  all  the  cares  of  keeping 
house.  I  am  very  much  disposed  to  follow  the  maxim  which  I  have  read 
in  the  old  Bible,  that  after  marriage  the  husband  shall  neither  go  to  war 
nor  engage  in  business  for  one  year,  but  stay  at  home  and  comfort  his 
wife.  I  am  not  sure  that  I  quote  correctly — the  idea  is  expressed — so  I 
think  we  should  not  go  to  housekeeping  immediately  after  our  marriage, 
but  spend  the  Summer  in  leisure  and  pleasure.  We  shall  have  enough  of 
the  cares  and  troubles  of  a  house  without  being  over-anxious  to  com- 
mence with  them.  What  say  you  ?  For  in  this  matter  I  am  very  much 
inclined  to  consult  your  pleasure. 

Saturday,  i8th. — You  discover  that  I  have  neglected  writing  for  two 
days  past.  I  have  been  so  much  engaged  in  business  that  I  really  had 
not  time  to  compose  myself  sufficiently  to  think  of  writing  to  you.  I  dis- 
like very  much  to  be  interrupted  whilst  writing  you,  and  therefore  always 
prefer  writing  after  the  business  of  the  day  is  over.  But  for  two  or  three 
nights  past  I  have  had  considerable  writing  to  do  in  a  professional  way. 
Had  I  written  in  this,  my  diary,  my  remarks  must  have  been  very  dull 
and  uninteresting.  I  could  have  told  you  that  Thursday  was  a  dull,  wet 
day,  pretty  warm  and  something   the  appearance  of  Spring,   and  that 


38  Letters    of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Friday  was  very  cold  and  clear,  that  I  was  engaged  in  business,  etc.  So 
you  now  have,  Lizzy,  all  that  I  could  have  said  those  two  days  which 
passed  by  without  comment. 

The  mail  which  brought  your  letter,  also  brought  me  one  from  our 
friend,  Mr.  Croft.  It  was  a  letter  on  business,  but  the  old  gentleman  took 
care  to  inform  me  that  my  ''  particular  friend  "  was  well,  and  that  he  saw 
you  very  often,  etc.  I  requested  him  to  present  my  respects  to  you,  and 
I  suppose  before  this  letter  reaches  you  he  will  have  done  so.  The  old 
man's  inquisitiveness  found  out,  however,  how  matters  were  between  us 
before  I  left  Charleston.  I  like  him  and  Mrs.  Croft  too,  very  much.  He 
has  been  also  a  very  warm  friend  of  mine  in  my  addresses  to  you.  More 
than  once  he  took  the  liberty  of  telling  me  how  well  he  had  spoken  of  me 
to  you  and  your  mother.  It  may  be  that  I  am  indebted  to  him  for  my 
success. 

Before  this  letter  reaches  you,  Mr.  Roberts,  of  this  village,  will  have 
been  in  Charleston  and  left  there  with  Miss  Sttsan^his  sister-in-law,  under 
his  protection.  They  are  expected  to  return  here  this  day  week.  I  hope 
you  saw  Miss  Elizabeth  again  before  she  left  town. 

I  was  pleased  to  hear  that  you  had  received  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Eddings,  and  that  she  had  mentioned  my  name  in  her  communication.  I 
think  a  great  deal  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddings.  They  are  clever  people,  and 
I  hope  to  see  them  again  in  Greenville  next  Summer.  The  roof  of  my 
house  shall  be  painted  green  before  that  time.  Mr.  Eddings  is  the 
brother  too  of  my  esteemed  friend  Mrs.  Pope.  I  had  been  in  his  company 
several  weeks  before  I  knew  it.  Mrs.' Pope,  on  leaving  Greenville  two 
years  since,  said  to  me  that  if  I  would  invite  her  to  my  wedding,  no 
matter  when  nor  where  it  was,  that  she  would  attend,  and  that  she  would 
make  a  visit  to  Greenville  in  the  Winter  to  be  present  at  it,  and  enjoined 
it  on  me  to  give  her  timely  notice.  But  I  have  not  heard  from  her  since, 
and  suppose  that  she  does  not  hardly  recollect  her  injunctions  by  this 
time. 

You  need  not  apologize,  my  dear  Lizzy,  for  trespassing  on  my  time 
in  reading  your  letters.  You  remind  me  that  I  always  apologize  for  the 
length  of  my  letters,  and  must  therefore  think  the  time  unprofitably  spent 
in  reading  long  letters.  I  beg  you  to  remember  there  is  a  difference 
between  the  length  of  our  letters.  I  very  often  send  you  two  sheets 
closely  written.  You  send  me  in  return  two  pages.  And  I  know  full 
well  too  that  your  letters  are  more  interesting  to  me  than  mine  can  be  to 
you. 

You  mentioned  very  good  humoredly  the  spilling  of  your  ink  on  the 
desk,  and  remark  how  fortunate  you  were  that  none  of  it  touched  the 


To   ElvIZABE^TH   McCaI,!,.  39 

paper.  I  suppose  you  made  this  remark  to  remind  me  of  my  great  par- 
ticularity in  communicating  to  you  the  outward  appearance  of  one  of  your 
letters.  You  must  make  some  allowance  for  the  particularity  of  bache- 
lors. Old  maids  and  old  bachelors  have  always  been  famous  for  neatness 
and  particularity.  But  inasmuch  as  you  say  my  name  is  stricken  off  the 
list  of  old  bachelors,  it  becomes  me  now  to  throw  aside  their  notions  and 
whims.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  I  have  adopted  many  of  their 
notions  and  caprices. 

The  business  of  my  circuit  is  just  beginning,  and  I  have  to  commence 
at  Pickens'  Court  House  on  the  third  Monday  in  March.  This  will 
render  it  impossible  for  me  to  visit  Charleston  till  the  22d  of  April. 

Give  my  love  to  all  the  family  and  friends.  Good-night,  dearest,  I 
will  go  to  sleep  to  dream  about  you.  Adieu. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Greenville  C.  H.,  February  226.,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — Your  letter  of  the  14th  inst.  reached  me  last  night, 
and  I  was  much  gratified  to  see  your  * '  improvement ' '  once  more.  Indeed 
I  began  to  think  that  my  congratulations  were  too  soon  !  But  it  matters 
not,  lyizzy,  how  short  your  letters  may  be,  they  will  always  meet  a  cor- 
dial welcome  from  my  heart.  If  they  contained  but  one  line,  would  be  read 
a  dozen  times.  The  longer  your  letters  are,  however,  the  more  gratify- 
ing they  are  to  me,  for  they  must  necessarily  contain  more  of  your 
thoughts,  feelings  and  sentiments.  The  difference  between  a  short  and 
a  long  letter  from  you  may  aptly  be  compared  to  the  pleasure  of  being  in 
your  company  a  few  minutes  or  two  or  three  hours.  In  mentioning  ' '  your 
company,"  my  imagination  pictures  to  itself  your  drawing-room,  the  sofa 
and  a  cheerful  coal  fire.  And  I  can  see  you  now  looking  at  your  watch, 
and  showing  me  that  it  is  near  ten  o'clock.  And  I  feel  again  the  reluc- 
tance with  which  I  used  to  leave  you.  Those  were  delightful  evenings 
and  I  sigh  for  their  return. 

You  ask  me  what  I  think  of  the  expression  in  Colonel  Alston's  letter 
to  Miss  Burr,  "  that  a  man  never  loves  after  he  is  thirty  years  old."  In 
reply  I  would  say  that  Colonel  Alston  wrote  that  letter  when  he  was  only 
in  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age.  How  did  he  know  w^hat  were  the 
feelings  at  thirty  ?  You  must  also  recollect  that  he  was  urging  with  great 
zeal,  and  under  most  peculiar  circumstances,  the  propriety  of  early  mar- 
riages, when  the  expression  was  used.     If  Colonel  Alston  had  experienced 


40  LETTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

the  present  feelings  of  my  heart  he  would  have  written  differently.  I  am 
unwilling  to  believe  that  there  is  any  difference  in  the  feelings  and  affec- 
tions of  the  heart  at  twenty-two  and  thirty.  I  will  not  admit  that  there 
has  abated  in  the  least,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  that  ardor  of  feeling  and 
passion  which  characterizes  youth.  That  period  is  too  soon  for  the 
selfishness  of  age  to  have  infused  itself  into  our  nature.  And  you  seem 
to  think  with  Colonel  Alston  that  the  heart  which  has  never  loved  at 
thirty,  is  not  likely  to  love  at  all.  I  would  ask,  if  it  were  not  possible, 
for  a  gentleman  to  see  every  day  the  coarse  daubing  of  an  ignorant  painter, 
without  taking  any  interest  in  them  whatever,  and  yet,  at  thirty,  be  struck 
with  the  highest  admiration  for  the  first  time,  at  the  sight  of  a  splendid 
and  finished  piece  of  painting  which  is  brought  to  his  view  ?  May  we 
not  pass  through  the  period  of  youth  laughing  at  the  wretched  caricatures 
of  a  toy  shop,  and  yet  be  enraptured  at  thirty  with  the  sight  of  a  beauti- 
ful piece  of  sculpture  from  the  chisel  of  Angelo  or  Conova  ?  Take  an 
illiterate  peasant  and  read  to  him  Byron's  Corsair,  or  Homer's  Iliad,  and 
will  he  not  admire  them  as  much  at  thirty  as  he  would  have  done  at 
twenty-two?  The  heart  which  has  never  loved  until  the  maturity  of 
manhood  is  like  a  rich  soil,  which  has  been  accumulating  in  fertility  for 
a  number  of  years,  and  when  sown  yields  the  more  abundant  harvest. 

The  opinion  of  a  young  gentleman  whom  you  do  not  name,  as  to 
marrying  a  lady  we  do  not  love  in  preference  to  one  whom  we  do  love,  is 
the  height  of  absurdity.  I  will  venture  to  say  that  this  gentleman  will 
never  carry  into  practice  the  philosophy  which  he  preaches.  To  my 
mind  there  can  be  nothing  more  revolting  than  the  idea  of  marrying  one 
whom  we  do  not  love.  No  matter  how  many  good  qualities  she  may 
possess  we  should  ever  be  blinded  to  them.  On  the  other  hand,  that  feel- 
ing which  induces  us  to  think  that  those  we  truly  and  sincerely  love, 
angels  on  earth,  will  ever  cause  us  to  look  with  kindness  and  tenderness 
on  their  conduct,  however  bad  it  may  be.  I  could  refer  to  striking 
instances  which  have  come  under  my  observation  in  confirmation  of  what 
I  here  assert. 

You  wish  to  know  what  progress  has  been  made  in  erecting  my 
house.  The  building  has  been  carried  on  so  slowly  that  I  have  been 
almost  ashamed  to  allude  to  it.  Colonel  Dunham,  the  contractor,  has  had 
his  workmen  employed  in  making  the  window  sash,  door  frames,  dressing 
plank  and  having  all  the  lumber  ready  so  as  to  put  up  the  building 
as  soon  as  the  Spring  commences.  I  have  employed  another  carpenter 
to  build  the  kitchen,  etc.  In  the  mean  time  I  shall  superintend  the  mak- 
ing and  laying  off  the  garden  myself.  I  have  already  been  planting  a 
great  many  trees  for  shade,  ornament,  etc.     lyCt  me  give  you  a  description 


To  EwzAEKTH  McCai.1..  41 

of  the  house  and  lot  as  the  one  will  appear  when  finished  and  the  other 
improved.  The  house  will  be  forty-six  feet  long  by  twenty  feet  wide  and 
raised  six  feet  from  the  ground  and  two-story  high,  a  double  portico  in 
front,  two  rooms  above  and  below,  with  a  passage  in  the  centre,  square  or 
tipped  roof,  large  double  windows  above  and  below  extending  to  the  floor  ; 
the  front  door  will  have  lights  above  and  around  handsomely  set  in,  there 
is  to  be  at  some  future  time  a  building  extending  back  from  the  house 
making  a  T.  In  front  of  the  house  stand  three  large  forest  oaks,  and  a 
fourth  tree  of  smaller  dimensions  planted  by  me.  In  front  of  the  lot  and 
on  either  side  will  be  a  row  of  cedars — these  I  have  already  planted  ;  from 
the  gate  to  the  portico,  about  fifty  feet,  will  be  a  hedge  of  cedars  on  both 
sides  of  a  gravel  walk  ;  around  the  house  will  be  planted  shrubbery  and 
fruit  trees.  In  the  rear  of  the  house  and  leading  to  the  garden,  flower  yard, 
etc.  The  garden  shall  be  tastefully  laid  off  and  will  contain  about  a  half 
acre.  But  enough  of  my  description.  We  will  one  day  make  it  almost  a 
fairy  seat.  Several  persons  have  told  me  that  they  were  going  to  present 
Mrs.  Perry  with  a  great  many  flowers,  shrubs,  etc.,  to  set  out.  I  have 
myself  been  working  very  hard  to-day,  with  my  boy,  in  planting  trees 
and  making  a  fence.     I  will  make  it  a  most  beautiful  place  some  day. 

I  have  just  received  a  box  of  books,  a  great  variety  of  works,  but  have 
not  time  to  read  them.  Good  night,  dear  lyizzj^,  give  my  love  to  your 
mother  and  sisters,  and  remember  me  to  all  of  our  friends. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Greenville  C.  H.,  March  4th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  congratulated  you,  some  time  since,  on  your 
''  improvement,"  in  consequence  of  the  length  of  your  letters,  I  now  have 
reason  to  congratulate  myself  on  account  of  your  punctuality.  I  always 
go  to  the  post-ofiice  on  Tuesday  evening,  with  the  conscious  certainty  of 
hearing  from  you. 

You  make  a  request  in  your  last  letter  which  I  never  can  grant,  '  *  that 
when  we  meet  again  our  letters  are  to  be  exchanged,  and  yours  committed 
to  the  flames  whilst  mine  are  to  be  handsomely  bound  !  No,  Lizzy,  your 
letters  will  ever  be  faithfully  preserved  whilst  it  is  in  the  power  of  man 
to  do  so.  But  I  will  make  a  compromise  with  you  on  this  subject,  our 
letters  shall  be  bound  together. 

Miss  Sloane  returned  home  on  Sunday  evening  last,  and  I  called  on 
her  in  a  few  hours  afterwards,  being  anxious  to  see  some  one  who  had  so 


42  lyETTERS   OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

recently  seen  you.  She  expresses  herself  under  many  obligations  to  you 
for  your  politeness,  attention  and  kindness.  But  I  have  not  seen  her 
since  I  received  your  last  letter.  Colonel  Towns  is  a  good  deal  pleased 
with  Miss  Sloane,  and  I  predict  a  wedding. 

Time  drags  heavily  with  me.  It  occurred  to  my  mind  Tuesday 
evening  last,  that  that  evening  had  been  once  proposed  as  the  evening  of 
our  marriage,  and  had  been  assented  to  by  you  and  your  mother.  How 
cruel  to  have  postponed  it !  How  happy  I  should  now  be  had  it  not  been 
postponed.  We  should  at  this  moment  be  together  and  in  the  enjoyment 
of  each  other's  company.  Oh  !  how  delightful,  and  w^ould  to  God  it  were 
so.  But  the  time,  the  appointed  hour  is  rolling  around,  and  though  with 
a  slow  pace  will  come. 

For  eight  or  ten  days  past  I  have  thrown  aside  my  books  and  been 
'*  hard  at  w^ork,"  so  much  so  that  I  have  blistered  m}^  hands.  Let  me 
tell  you  what  I  have  done.  In  one  of  my  former  letters,  I  mentioned  that 
I  was  transplanting  a  large  forest  ash  and  some  mountain  locusts.  Since 
then  I  have  planted  out  one  hundred  cedar  trees,  fifteen  or  twenty  apple 
trees,  a  dozen  or  two  pear  trees,  several  quinces,  a  number  of  cherry  trees, 
and  a  number  of  other  trees.  There  will  be  a  row  of  cedars  on  each  side 
of  the  house  making  a  square  and  two  rows  of  the  same  leading  from  the 
gate  to  the  portico.  The  house  will  be  about  as  far  from  the  street  as 
your  mother's.  In  front  stand  three  very  large  and  venerable  oak  trees, 
cedar  and  a  variety  of  fruit  trees.  In  the  rear  a  garden  with  whatever  we 
may  hereafter  put  in  it.  But  I  am  going  to  lay  it  off  and  arrange  the 
walks  most  beautifully.  All  that  I  can  say  at  present  is  that^I  have 
planted  a  good  many  fruit  trees  in  it,  and  have  written  to  Mr.  Merrick  for 
others,  vines,  shrubs,  etc.  I  really  never  knew  before  how  much  pleasure 
there  was  in  improving  a  lot  and  building  houses  after  vour  own  plan. 
But  enough  of  this  for  the  present.  (AXtuA^^^ 

I  am  anxious  to  hear  from  you  as  to  what  arrangement  you  havfe 
made.  You  must  also  write  me  as  to  your  bridesmaids.  How  long  will 
you  wish  to  remain  in  Charleston  before  we  leave  for  Greenville  ?  We 
will  return  by  the  way  of  Columbia,  and  I  thought  about  a  week  after  our 
marriage.  I  said  something  to  you  the  evening  I  left  as  to  any  preference 
you  might  have  in  travelling.  If  it  meets  your  approbation  we  will  return 
to  Columbia  in  a  steamboat  and  thence  in  the  stage.  I  have  no  carriage 
of  my  own  and  have  thought  it  would  be  rather  an  unnecessary  expense 
at  the  present  time.  Persons  setting  out  in  life  should  be  prudent  and 
not  incur  expenses  unnecessarily.  Living  in  the  village  we  shall  have 
but  little  use  for  a  carriage.  I  shall,  however,  in  this  matter,  consult  your 
pleasure  and  inclination. 


To  Hlizabi^th  McCaIvI..  43 

My  landlord,  Colonel  Coleman,  left  here  for  Charleston  the  other 
day,  and  expects  to  reach  town  on  Thursday  next.  I  requested  him  to 
call  and  see  your  mother  and  family,  but  he  said  he  did  not  expect  to  have 
time  to  do  so.  Colonel  Coleman  is  a  very  good  and  worthy  man  and  Mrs. 
Coleman  is  a  very  clever  woman.  They  both  make  a  great  many  kind 
inquiries  about  you  and  your  mother  and  sister.  They  profess  to  have 
great  partialities  for  all  of  you. 

You  perceive  that  my  letter  paper  has  arrived  in  Greenville,  but  the 
sheets  are  too  small.  I  am  glad  you  did  not  purchase  any  of  it.  The 
sheets  are  too  little  to  contain  as  much  as  ought  to  be  written  in  a  love 
letter.  You  need  not  request  me  to  read  only  once  your  letters  !  They 
are  invariably  read  the  second  time,  before  they  are  folded  up,  after 
being  opened.  But  I  do  not  read  them,  my  dear  Lizzy,  with  a  critic's 
eye,  although  they  would  stand  the  test  of  criticism.  You  must  not  de- 
spair of  surpassing  me  in  epistolary  writing.  I  believe  you  do  that  already. 
I  never  can  excel  in  writing  letters.  Excellence  in  letter  writing  belongs 
to  the  ladies. 

I  must  now  conclude,  my  paper  is  too  small.  Kver  yours,  my  dear 
lyizzy. 

B.   F.   Pkrry. 


GrkEnvilIvK  C.  H.,  March  nth,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — In  your  letter  of  the  28th  ult.,  you  seem  to  think 
it  better  to  spend  an  hour  or  two  in  writing  a  long  letter,  than  to  devote  a 
few  minutes  every  day  in  keeping  a  diary.  I  am  not  sure  but  that  you 
are  correct  in  this  opinion.  It  is  quite  tedious  to  be  so  long  in  writing 
one  letter,  and  you  are  apt  to  be  tired  of  seeing  the  same  sheet  of  paper 
before  you  a  half  dozen  times.  But,  my  dear  Lizzy,  how  interesting 
would  your  diary  be  to  me.  With  how  intense  an  interest  would  I 
read  it,  and  then  I  should  always  have  the  pleasure  of  receiving  from  you 
a  long  letter.  You  had  been  to  the  races  and  the  performance  of  Mon- 
sieur Adrien,  had  seen  Judge  Richardson,  Mrs.  Pope,  Mrs.  Eddings  and 
Mrs.  Croft. 

I  received  a  letter  from  Colonel  Fair  last  night,  informing  me  that  he 
saw  you  in  Charleston.  He  paid  3^ou  a  great  many  compliments,  and  I 
forbear  mentioning  them  for  fear  they  might  excite  a  little  ' '  vanity. ' '  I 
almost  feel  vain  of  them  myself,  and  you  know  I  have  no  vanity.     The 


44  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

compliments  paid  you  by  Colonel  Fair  might  excite  in  my  bosom  some- 
thing of  vanity  if  I  did  not  know  that  you  so  richly  merited  them. 

Judge  Earle  returned  the  other  day  from  Charleston,  and  informed 
me  that  he  had  heard  of  my  flame  whilst  in  town.  The  Judge  sa^^s  he 
will  accompany  me  in  April  without  fail.  He  will  be  a  gay  youth  for  a 
groomsman,  think  you  ?  to  place  beside  one  of  your  "young  and  pretty  " 
cousins.  I  have  not  heard  from  my  friend  Colonel  Herndon  lately.  I  am 
afraid  the  cold  winter  doesn't  agree  with  his  age  and  infirmities.  And  you 
think  my  groomsmen  are  not  as  remarkably  handsome  as  I  think  them, 
and  that  "the  danger  is  all  on  their  side."  Indeed,  Lizzy,  the  danger 
may  all  be  on  their  side — so  much  of  your  expression  I  admit  to  be  true — 
but  you  do  them  great  injustice  when  you  detract  from  their  personal 
appearance.  Let  me  take  them  in  detail :  Judge  Earle  has  for  the  last 
thirty  years,  been  universally  regarded  as  the  handsomest  man  in  the 
upper  country  ;  reputation  of  so  long  standing  cannot  now  be  affected  by 
any  doubts.  Colonel  Herndon  cannot  lay  claim  to  so  old  a  reputation, 
but  he  is  decidedly  fine  looking;  Colonel  Fair,  after  the  compliments  he 
has  just  paid  you,  ought. to  receive;  a:  rnost  favorable  decision  at  your 
hands.  William  Gantt,  Esq.,  is  an  evergreen,  he  looks  as  well  and  as 
young  now  as  he  did  fifteert  y<ears  since^ j^^heh'he  was  distinguished  for 
his  personal  appearance.  Colonel  Towns  is  young  and  good  looking, 
tall  and  a  military  man.  But  I  must  beg  Judge  Earle' s  pardon  for  say- 
ing '*  thirty, ' '  this  is  a  horrible  blunder  of  mine,  I  should  have  said  twenty. 
I  beg  that  you  never  hint  the  error  to  his  Honor,  lest  he  fling  aside  his 
judicial  robes  and  calls  me  to  the  field  of  honor  with  lance  in  hand.  The 
Judge  is  about  forty  years  old,  quite  a  respectable  age  for  a  bachelor. 

I  cannot  say  that  I  am  sorry  at  being  assured  by  you  that  I  shall  see 
Miss  Anne  on  my  return  to  Charleston.  This  will  restore  to  me  the  honor 
which  I  thought  was  about  being  snatched  from  me,  that  of  being  the  first 
son-in-law  in  your  family.  However,  I  beg  Miss  Susan's  pardon.  She 
may,  for  aught  I  know,  assist  some  one  in  filching  from  me  my  good 
name.  But  I  appeal  to  your  mother  to  protect  my  rights.  She  ought  to 
adopt  the  parliamentary  rule  of  considering  the  petition  in  the  order  in 
which  they  were  presented.  Mine  was  presented  last  Fall,  and,  of  course, 
has  a  precedence  over  one  presented  in  January,  or  perhaps  but  yesterday 
in  Miss  Susan's  case.  There  is  an  old  adage  that  "one  wedding  brings 
on  another,"  and  Miss  Susan  has  lately  been  to  several. 

My  little  sheet  of  paper  admonishes  me  that  I  must  conclude  this 
nonsensical  letter.  I  am  sure  you  would  object  to  my  sending  more  than 
one  sheet  unless  it  was  better  written.  Good-night,  my  darling,  and 
believe  me,  Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


'V       Of  THB 


'I7KI7ER: 


To  EivizABETH  McCaIvL.  45 

GreenvilIvE,  March  14th,  1837. 
My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  have  just  received  your  letter  of  the  7th  inst., 
and  hasten  to  answer  it  by  the  return  mail. 

You  must  not,  my  dear  Lizzy,  understand  my  comparison  between 
the  firm,  steady  and  manly  impulses  of  love  at  thirty  and  the  wayward 
fickleness  of  love  in  youth  as  having  any  relation  to  your  sex.  I  drew 
the  comparison  for  my  own  sex  and  believe  it  applicable  to  them  alone. 
Woman's  love  should  always  be  implanted  in  her  youth.  There  is  a 
difference  in  this  respect  between  our  sexes.  Take  the  world  over  and 
you  will  find  that  a  gentleman  always  loves  his  last  wife  the  most,  and  a 
lady  her  first  husband.  But  I  must  here  stop  for  fear  I  get  to  philoso- 
phizing again  on  love. 

I  shall  start  to  Pickens  Court  on  Sunday  morning,  and  will  not  return 
to  this  place  for  a  fortnight.  I  go  from  Pickens  to  Anderson  Court  by  the 
way  of  my  father's  on  Tugaloo.  I  have  not  seen  my  parents  since  our 
engagement.  They  are  aged  and  never  leave  home,  and  I  have  been  so 
much  engaged  in  business  since  my  return  from  Charleston,  that  I  have 
not  had  an  opportunity  of  visiting  them.  Your  letter,  which  will  arrive 
here  in  my  absence,  will  be  brought  to  me  at  Anderson  by  Colonel 
Towns.  I  cannot  think  of  being  two  weeks  without  hearing  from  you. 
I  shall  wTite  to  you  from  Pickens  and  Anderson,  but  the  mails  may  not 
be  regular,  and  therefore  be  not  surprised  if  you  do  not  get  my  letters  in 
proper  time.  I  shall  now  be  very  little  at  home  till  I  start  to  Charleston. 
From  next  Sunday  until  I  leave  Laurens  Court  for  town,  I  shall  be  con- 
stantly at  some  court  on  the  circuit.  If  you  were  here,  I  should  return 
from  each  court  as  I  did  last  fall.  Do  yoM  recollect  my  coming  home  from 
Pickens  so  much  sooner  than  was  expected  ?  Give  my  love  to  your 
mother  and  sisters,  and  believe  me.  Ever  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


46  Lkttbrs  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Pickens  C.  H.,  March  21st,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  have  just  left  the  Court  House  to  write  you,  after 
a  most  laborious  and  fatiguing  day  spent  in  defending  a  man  who  is 
charged  with  a  larceny.  The  accused  is  sixty-six  years  old  and  has 
hitherto  sustained  an  irreproachable  character  for  honesty  and  integrity. 
He  has  raised  a  large  and  respectable  family,  and  has  accumulated  a 
handsome  fortune.  It  is  now  eight  o'clock  in  the  night  and  the  trial  is 
not  yet  over.  His  Honor,  Judge  Earle,  is  making  his  charge  to  the  jury. 
But  knowing  that  if  I  did  not  write  you  before  the  mail  closes  to-night,  I 
should  not  have  an  opportunity  of  doing  so  before  the  first  of  next  week, 
I  have  left  my  client's  case  in  the  hands  of  an  assistant  counsel,  after 
making  as  good  an  argument  as  I  was  capable  of  doing  in  his  favor.  His 
case  is  a  very  doubtful  one,  and  has  excited  much  interest  in  the  com- 
munity. 

You  see,  my  dear  I/izzy,  that  I  am  not  writing  you  on  my  little  sh^et 
of  gilt  edge,  but  on  a  large  coarse  sheet  of  foolscap.  You  must,  however, 
excuse  the  paper,  for  it  is  the  best  that  I  can  procure  in  the  city  of 
Pickens.  I  reached  this  place  on  Sunday  evening,  and  have  not  had  a 
moment's  leisure  since  my  arrival.  I  am  now  writing  3^ou  with  my  door 
locked  to  keep  out  troublesome  clients,  although  it  is  eight  o'clock  in  the 
night.  When  I  shall  be  able  to  leave  here  I  am  unable  to  say — perhaps 
Friday  morning.  I  go  from  here  to  my  father's  and  thence  to  Anderson 
Court,  as  I  wrote  you  last  week.  I  shall  be  at  Greenville  the  latter  part 
of  next  week. 

How  I  regret  that  your  letter  which  reached  Greeenville  Court  House 
to-night  will  not  be  seen  by  me  before  Sunday  evening  !  How  much 
pleasure  it  would  be  to  me  to  read  it  to-night.  I  hope  it  is  a  long  letter. 
You  must  excuse  this  very  hasty  letter,  for  I  assure  you  that  I  write 
amidst  the  greatest  noise  and  confusion  all  around  me.  You  can  have  no 
idea  of  the  noise  and  disagreeable  company  which  a  lawyer  is  subjected  to 
on  the  Circuit.  It  is  worse  upon  myself  than  most  lawyers,  as  I  lead  a 
more  still  and  quiet  life  than  most  of  them. 

I  can  but  compare  my  situation  and  my  thoughts  and  feelings  at  this 
place  during  the  present  court,  and  my  thoughts,  feelings  and  situation 
last  Fall  court  at  this  place.  At  that  time,  my  dear  Lizzy,  I  had  not  told 
to  you  my  love.  I  recollect  hastening  home  for  the  purpose  of  doing  so. 
I  recollect  neglecting  my  business  for  almost  the  first  time,  with  a  view  of 
enjoying  your  company  and  being  with  you.  But  now,  if  nothing 
happens,  one  month  from  this  time  I  will  be  with  you  never  again  to  part 
whilst  life  continues. 


To  EivizABETH  McCai^l.  47 

I  must  now  conclude  as  the  mail  is  waiting  for  me.  It  closes  to-night 
though  it  does  not  leave  till  daylight  to-morrow.  In  fact,  it  ought  to  be 
closed  already,  hut  I  have  begged  the  Postmaster  to  wait  a  few  minutes, 
and  I  assure  you  I  have  not  been  ten  minutes  writing  this  scroll. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother,  Miss  Susan  and  Miss  Anne,  and  believe 
me,  dearest  love,  to  be  "  yours  (in  your  own  language). 

Most  sincerely , " 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Anderson  C.  H.,  March  27th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  arrived  here  yesterday  evening  from  my  father's 
— left  them  all  well.  They  were  anxiously  inquisitive  as  to  the  "fair 
one  ' '  who  had  captivated  my  heart.  Colonel  Towns  brought  my  letters 
from  Greenville,  and  amongst  them  was  yours  of  the  14th  inst.  It  gave 
me  great  pleasure  to  hear  from  you  after  nearly  two  weeks'  silence.  This, 
however,  was  my  fault  and  not  yours,  as  it  was  in  consequence  of  my 
absence  from  home.  To-morrow  evening  your  letter  of  "  arrangements  " 
will  get  to  Greenville,  but  I  shall  not  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  it  till 
the  last  of  the  week.  How  long  the  Court  will  detain  me  here  is  some- 
what uncertain.  My  business  has  increased  very  much  this  Fall.  This 
is  very  well,  as  I  have  a  prospect  of  increasing  my  expenses,  though  I  do 
not  know  that  the  expenses  of  a  married  man  and  family  are  much  greater 
than  those  of  a  careless  bachelor. 

I  have  nothing  of  interest  to  write  you  at  present  and  very  little  time 
to  write.  The  stage  will  be  here  in  a  few  moments,  and  I  shall  have  to 
go  into  Court  directly.  I  therefore  cannot  write  you  a  long  letter,  but  had 
I  time,  I  would  follow  the  maxim  of  Scripture  and  repay  good  for  evil,  or 
a  long  letter  for  a  short  one. 

Judge  Karle  was  attacked  with  rheumatism  at  Pickens  Court,  and  is 
now  scarcely  able  to  walk.  If  he  gets  worse  he  will  not  be  able  to  accom- 
pany me  after  the  circuit  is  over.  I  hope,  however,  that  the  fine  Spring 
weather  which  we  now  have  will  improve  his  health.  The  weather  is 
indeed  delightful,  the  whole  country  presents  the  appearance  of  Spring. 
The  peach  trees,  plums,  etc.,  are  in  full  bloom,  and  in  riding  through  the 
country  there  is  a  fragrance  in  the  atmosphere  which  is  most  delightful. 
The  trees  have  a  most  beautiful  appearance  too.  Everything  is  calcu- 
lated to  inspire  the  feelings  of  love.  I  regret  that  the  25th  of  April  is  so 
far  away. 


48  I,-ette;rs  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

When  I  return  to  Greenville  I  will  write  you  a  more  full  letter,  but  I 
shall  be  very  much  hurried  there,  and  you  must  make  great  allowances 
for  all  the  letters  which  you  receive  from  me  from  this  time  till  you  see 
me.  It  is  a  difficult  matter  for  one  to  sit  down  and  write  a  love  letter  or 
one  of  sentiment  after  coming  out  of  Court  or  from  noisy  crowds,  and 
being  bothered  all  day  with  troublesome  clients. 

You  will  please  remember  me  to  your  mother  and  sisters,  and  accept 
my  love.     My  dear  Lizzy ,^  farewell.     Ever  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


GreenviIvIvE  C.  H.,  April  ist,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  am  once  more  at  home  again  and  have  better 
materials  for  writing  you  than  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  meet  with  on  the 
Circuit.  For  instance,  I  have  a  little  sheet  of  gilt  edge  instead  of  coarse 
foolscap,  and  I  have  the  whole  evening  to  write,  instead  of  being  confined 
to  ten  or  fifteen  minutes.  But,  my  dear  Lizzy,  you  cannot  imagine  how 
disappointed  I  was  in  not  receiving  a  letter  from  you  on  my  return  home. 
I  was  grieved,  but  the  next  evening  after  my  arrival  yours  of  the  23d  ult. 
came  to  hand  and  soothed  my  troubled  spirit. 

My  business  is  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  the  Court  does  not  sit 
till  the  first  Monday  in  May.  But  if  a  visit  to  Columbia  would  be  un- 
pleasant to^you,  my  business  can  be  entrusted  to  other  counsel,  and  we 
will  return  as  you  desire  by  the  way  of  Augusta.  I  will  make  arrange- 
ments for  a  carriage  and  horses  to  meet  us  there.  Had  we  not  better  take 
an  excursion  into  the  upper  part  of  Georgia  from  Augusta  ?  We  can  travel 
slowly  and  at  our  leisure.  There  will  be  time  enough,  however,  to  talk 
of  this  when  we  meet.  I  will  not  loiter  on  my  journey  to  Charleston.  I 
shall  be  there  on  the  2 2d,  if  nothing  happens.  I  will  not  postpone  one 
day  nor  one  hour.  Without  some  accident  by  stage  or  railroad,  I  shall 
be  in  town  on  Saturday  evening  before  the  25th. 

The  ensuing  week  we  have  Court  at  this  place  and  the  week  after  at 
Spartanburgh,  and  thence  we  go  to  Laurens  Court  House,  which  place  I 
will  leave  on  Thursday,  so  as  to  reach  Charleston  as  I  have  above  stated. 
Until  I  see  you  I  shall  be  very  much  engaged  in  the  Courts  and  shall 
barely  have  time  to  write  occasionally  a  short  letter. 

You  observe  in  your  letter,  which  I  received  at  Anderson  Court  House, 
that  I  had  not  given  you  yet  a  description  of  my  house.  I  was  in  hopes 
to  have  had  it  completed  by  the  first  of  May  so  that  I  could  have  shown 


To  KivizABKTH  McCai.1..  49 

you  the  building  itself  finished  on  your  arrival  here.  But  really  there  is 
more  delay  and  trouble  in  building  than  I  was  aware  of.  I  am  much 
provoked  at  the  slow  progress  made  with  my  house.  But  let  me  give  you 
a  brief  description.  Picture  to  yourself  a  house  forty-six  feet  by  twenty 
feet,  two  stories,  four  rooms,  a  wide  passage  above  and  below,  double 
portico  in  front,  large  double  windows  extending  very  low  and  square  roof, 
and  the  building  raised  seven  feet  above  the  ground,  and  a  cellar  beneath 
with  two  rooms,  and  seated  under  some  large  oak  trees,  and  you  have 
an  idea  of  the  house  I  am  building.  Hereafter  I  will  add  to  it  a  wing 
from  the  rear,  with  a  portico  or  half  piazza  between  the  main  building  and 
the  wing. 

But  I  must  quit  this  description  as  my  sheet  is  pretty  well  filled.  I 
saw  your  particular  friend,  Mr.  Gregory,  at  Anderson.  He  told  me  he  had 
seen  you  very  recently  and  I  was  glad  to  see  him  for  that  alone.  I  have 
not  yet  seen  Mr.  Croft  although  I  have  understood  he  arrived.  Since  my 
return  from  the  Circuit  I  have  scarcely  had  time  to  leave  my  office.  Give 
my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters,  and  believe  me  to  be  most  sincerely 
yours. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Gree:nvii.i.e  C.  H.,  April  8th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy . — It  is  now  ten  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  I  have  just 
left  the  Court  after  a  most  fatiguing  and  laborious  week's  work.  You  can 
form  no  idea  of  the  professional  labor  which  I  have  this  week  rendered 
my  clients,  and  in  the  morning  I  have  to  start  for  Spartanburgh  Court. 
I  scarcely  had  time  to  go  to  the  post-office  on  Tuesday  evening  and  get 
your  letter. 

The  day  after  writing  you  last,  I  took  dinner  with  Mr.  Croft.  He 
told  me  a  great  deal  of  news  from  Charleston.  General  Thompson 
informed  me  to-day  in  Court  that  he  had  received  an  invitation  to  your 
cousin's  wedding  on  the  25th  of  May — the  Miss  Haynes  to  Mr.  Taylor 
and  Colonel  Martin. 

I  am  very  glad  to  hear  that  your  mother  wishes  me  to  hasten  the 
building  of  my  own  house,  so  as  to  have  an  opportunity  of  attending  to 
hers.  I  hope  she  will  visit  the  upper  country  sooner  than  June,  which  is 
the  time  Mr.  Croft  says  she  speaks  of  coming  up. 

In  your  last  letter  you  inform  me  that  if  any  of  your  arrangements 
are  not  understood,  I  must  write  you  on  the  subject.     I  believe  I  under- 


50  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

stand  them  all  sufficiently  and  will  make  mine  accordingly.  I  shall 
return  from  Spartanburgh  the  last  of  the  week,  and  then  all  my  arrange- 
ments must  be  speedily  made  before  I  go  to  Laurens  Court.  I  am  very 
much  afraid  that  some  of  the  beaux  who  were  to  accompany  me  will  not 
be  able  to  do  so,  but  I  will  inform  you  more  fully  in  my  next.  If  I  have 
time  I  will  write  you  from  Spartanburgh  Court  the  coming  week.  As 
* '  the  day' '  approaches  I  think  we  might  write  twice  every  week  instead 
of  once.  But,  my  dear  Lizzy,  it  seems  to  me  that  for  several  weeks  past 
I  have  not  had  time  to  write  a  single  letter  as  I  could  wish.  And  after 
being  so  much  "  bothered  "  with  clients,  courts,  etc.,  I  feel  indisposed  to 
write,  or  rather  unfit  to  write.  This  is  very  much  my  situation  to-night. 
I  have  made  so  many  speeches  in  Court  and  talked  so  much  out  of  Court, 
that  my  voice  is  almost  broken  down. 

I  hope  you  will  excuse  this  letter,  as  well  as  two  or  three  others 
which  you  have  lately  received  from  me.  If  you  knew  how  much 
fatigued  I  am,  I  am  sure  you  would  make  great  allowances. 

Give  my  love  to  the  family,  and  believe  me  to  be  yours  most  sincerely. 
Oh,  Lizzy,  if  I  had  the  power  of  destroying  the  few  days  which  must 
intervene  before  we  meet,  how  happy  would  I  be.  But  it  is  too  true,  two 
weeks,  two  long,  long  weeks  must  pass  by  before  I  see  you. 

Good-night,  my  darling, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Spartanburgh  C.  H.,  April  loth,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  arrived  here  last  evening,  and  having  more 
leisure  than  I  have  had  for  two  or  three  weeks  past,  I  will  write  you 
again,  although  I  wrote  a  long  letter  the  evening  before  I  left  Greenville. 

Judge  Earle  expresses  some  anxiety  to  be  at  our  wedding,  but  says 
he  cannot  reach  Charleston  before  Thursday  evening,  27th  inst.  He  is 
under  the  necessity  of  returning  home  from  Laurens  Court,  and  proposes 
to  go  down  to  Aiken  in  his  carriage,  and  there  leave  the  carriage,  horses 
and  coachman  at  my  service,  to  do  with  and  keep  as  long  as  I  see  proper. 
If  then  it  will  not  interfere  with  any  arrangements  already  made  by  you, 
the  25th  can  be  made  the  27th,  in  order  to  have  the  Judge  present.  He 
has  always  been  a  bosom  friend  of  mine  and  I  am  under  great  obligations 
to  him,  and  should  like  very  much  to  have  the  pleasure  of  his  presence  on 
an  occasion  so  important.     If,    however,  any  arrangements  have  been 


To  Elizabeth  McCalIv.  51 

made  that  cannot  be  postponed  conveniently,  we  must  not  pleasure  the 
Judge  so  far  as  to  wait  for  him. 

I  shall  still  go  on  from  Laurens  Court,  and  will  be  in  Charleston  on 
Saturday  night,  the  22d.  I  think  it  likely  Colonels  Herndon  and  Fair 
will  go  with  me,  and  Mr.  Gantt  will  meet  me  in  town  on  Monday.  Judge 
Barle  will  be  there  on  Thursday.  We  will  leave  on  Friday  morning  by 
the  railroad  to  Aiken,  there  we  will  take  Judge  Earle's  carriage,  horses 
and  driver  and  go  where  we  please. 

Mrs.  Coleman  is  anxioas  to  know  the  day  we  are  to  arrive  in  Green- 
ville, so  as  to  make  some  preparation  for  our  reception.  I  told  her  that  I 
could  not  determine  on  any  particular  day  for  returning  to  Greenville. 

You  do  not  know,  my  dear  lyizzy,  how  anxious  I  am  for  the  day  to 
arrive  when  we  are  to  meet  again,  and  oh,  how  dull  and  dreary  is  my  time. 
Business  has  few  charms  for  me. 

You  must  excuse  the  shortness  of  this  letter  as  I  am  writing  in  my 
co-partner's  law  office.  Ever  yours,  my  dear, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


GrEEnvilIvE  C.  H.,  April  15th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Lizzy : — I  have  written  to  you  so  often  during  the  past  week 
that  I  am  almost  afraid  my  letters  will  be  troublesome.  But  having  just 
received  yours  of  the  6th  inst. ,  I  cannot  forego  the  pleasure  of  answering 
it.  I  was  only  jesting  when  I  remarked  the  different  arrangements  we 
had  made.  In  order  to  show  you  that  I  will  not  be  surpassed  in  ' '  yield- 
ing," I  have  only  to  say  that  all  the  arrangements  you  have  made  meet 
my  entire  approbation.  After  reflection,  I  am  satisfied  that  it  will  be 
more  pleasant  to  leave  town  the  next  day,  and  in  all'probability  your  stay 
in  Columbia  might  be  unpleasant.  We  will  therefore  leave  for  Aiken  by 
the  railroad,  and  thence  to  Greenville  in  Judge  Earle's  carriage,  which 
will  be  in  readiness  for  us  at  Aiken.  My  business  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals  shall  be  entrusted  to  Colonel  Herndon  or  Colonel  Fair,  who  will 
return  to  Columbia  and  attend  to  it  with  pleasure. 

I  wrote  you  from  Spartanburgh  as  to  the  wish  of  Judge  Earle,  that 
Thursday  should  be  substituted  in  the  place  of  Tuesday,  so  that  he  may 
have  time  to  reach  town.  But,  as  I  stated  in  my  last  letter,  if  any 
arrangements  have  been  made  for  Tuesday,  we  will  not  delay  for  his 
Honor,  although  he  may  not  arrive  in  time. 


52  lyKTTERS   OF   BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

Your  acquaintance  and  friend,  Mrs.  Towns,  of  Spartanburgh,  was 
exceedingly,  inquisitive  to  know  when  I  was  going  to  Charleston?  How 
long  I  expected  to  be  gone  ?  Who  would  return  with  me  ?  And  whether 
I  would  not  call  on  them  or  go  down  that  way  ?  etc.  She  expresses  great 
friendship  and  kindness  for  your  mother  and  family,  and  being  a  particu- 
lar friend  of  mine,  she  said  she  was  much  rejoiced  at  the  news  she  had 
heard  about  me. 

I  saw  Mr.  Croft  this  morning.  Tell  his  good  lady  that  the  old  gen- 
tleman is  quite  well  and  looks  younger.  He  says  he  will  send  down  for 
Mrs.  Croft  the  first  of  May. 

We  have  a  good  deal  of  company  at  the  Mansion  House  at  present. 
Captain  Williams  and  lady  and  family,  whom  you  saw  last  Summer,  are 
here  and  will  remain  all  Summer.  There  are  several  other  engineers  and 
their  ladies. 

This  is  the  last  letter  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you  until 
we  meet  again,  or  rather  it  is  the  last  letter  I  expect  to  address  to  "  Miss 
Elizabeth  F.  McCall."  When  I  write  you  again  I  hope  the  address  will 
be  different.  I  shall  leave  on  Monday  morning  for  Laurens  Court,  and 
will  be  in  Charleston  on  Saturday  night  if  nothing  happens.  If  I  get  to. 
town  before  the  bell  rings  I  shall  see  you,  and  repay  one  of  the  kisses 
which  I  stole  from  you  when  we  parted  last.  You  may  expect  me  till 
nine  o'clock,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  expect  me  in  vain. 

•I  must  now  bid  you  adieu.  I  would  that  I  could  travel  as  fast  as  my 
letter.  Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters.  It  will  give  me  sincere 
pleasure  to  meet  them  also.  They  already  appear  to  me  as  near  and  dear 
relations. 

God  bless  you,  my  dear  darling  Lizzy.  A  few  more  days  and  I  will 
meet  you  as  my  own,  and  I  pray  that  our  lives  may  be  happy — as  happy 
as  yours  deserves  to  be.  Farewell. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Mr.  Smith's,  July  25th,  1837. 

Afy  Dear  Wife  : — I  am  very  much  fatigued,  but  will  not  break  the 
promise  you  exacted  from  me  on  leaving  you  to-day.  Indeed  I  cannot 
when  I  think  of  the  kisses  you  gave  me  by  way  of  recompense  for  the 
letter. 

The  first  eleven  miles  I  spent  in  reading  Tucker's  "  Life  of  Jefferson," 
and  thinking  of  you.  I  wondered  what  you  were  doing,  whether  you 
were  writing  in  your  journal,   conversing  with   Mrs.    Cunningham   or 


To  His  Wife.  53 

thinking  of  me.  You  may  suppose,  my  love,  and  vanity  induced  me  to 
think  the  latter. 

But  to  my  passage  here.     I  dined  at  eleven  miles    from   the 

village,  made  a  very  hearty  dinner  on  cabbage  and  bacon,  peach  pie,  and 
molasses  and  buttermilk.  And  I  do  assure  you  that  I  never  enjoyed  a 
dinner  at  the  Mansion  House  more  than  I  did  this  one,  and  it  was  a  very 
good  one,  too. 

I  met  the  stage  here  to-night  from  Aiken  with  three  or  four  ladies 
only.  I  have  not  heard  their  names.  They  are  bound  for  Greenville. 
The  rail  cars  did  not  arrive  at  Aiken  yesterday  evening  ;  some  accident 
must  have  happened.  This  will  cause  the  next  stage  to  be  crowded.  I 
am  very  much  afraid  we  shall  meet  with  some  difficulty  in  getting  our 
seats.  Mr.  Mauldin  has  stopped  at  Cambridge,  and  expects  to  go  up  in 
the  next  stage.  There  will  be  the  last  car  full  and  the  one  to-morrow  all 
for  one  stage.  So  if  you  should  not  see  us  on  Friday,  you  must  not  be 
alarmed,  for  I  think  it  exceedingly  probable  that  you  will  not.  Tell  Mrs. 
Cunningham  I  place  you  under  her  care  and  protection,  knowing  that  she 
will  accept  the  charge  most  cheerfully  ;  and,  no  doubt,  she  wishes  me  to 
stay  a  month,  so  that  she  may  have  the  more  of  your  company. 

The  weather  is  pleasant,  but  I  am  writing  in  a  room  filled  with  I 
don't  know  whom,  and  cannot  write  with  much  pleasure  where  persons 
are  not  only  looking  at  me,  but  actually  looking  over  my  shoulders. 

The  ride  down  nere  was  very  pleasant,  it  was  over  the  same  road  that 
we  travelled  last  fall  when  we  were  courting,  and  the  same  road  that  we 
passed  over  this  spring  after  our  marriage.  I  saw  many  objects  to  remind 
me  of  both  rides.  I  stopped  a  few  minutes  at  McCullough's  where  we 
staid  all  night  last  fall. 

I  hope  that  I  may  meet  your  mother  to-morrow  night  and  that  we 
may  get  seats  back.  The  stage  leaves  here  at  one  o'clock  to-night,  and 
so  I  must  bid  you  farewell.  Oh,  my  wife,  you  do  not  know  how  often  I 
think  of  you,  and  how  earnestly  I  wish  to  return  to  you  and  receive 
another  kiss  from  those  sweet  lips  of  yours. 

Adieu.     Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perky, 


54  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Aiken,  July  26th,  1837. 

My  Dear  Wife : — ^Just  as  I  anticipated  and  predicted  to  you  in  my 
last  letter  from  Mr.  Smith's,  we  are  to  be  detained  here  till  Sunday  morn- 
ing. Your  mother  and  sisters  are  here  and  all  well,  also  Major  Hayne. 
They  seem  to  be  more  disappointed  than  I  am.  But  we  have  engaged  our 
seats  for  Sunday  morning  and  you  will  certainly  see  us  on  Monday  next. 
All  our  friends  in  Charleston  are  well.  Miss  Anne  and  Miss  Susan  look 
remarkably  well  and  seem  to  be  in  good  spirits  though  much  fatigued. 
They  say  that  some  forty  or  fifty  of  their  friends  called  to  see  them  in 
town  last  night. 

I  have  barely  time  to  tell  you  the  bad  news  of  our  disappointment.  I 
wrote  you  from  Smith's  and  hope  Henning  sent  you  the  letter  ;  if  not  send 
up  and  get  it. 

I  had  more  time  then  than  I  have  now. 

My  dear  wife,  you  must  enjoy  yourself  with  Mrs.  Cunningham  the  best 
you  can.     I  shall  see  you  on  Monday. 

Your  loving  husband, 

B.  F,  Perry. 


Anderson  C.  H.,  Monday  night,  October  i6th. 

My  Dear  Wife : — I  am  always  anxious  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
writing  to  you,  when  I  am  absent.  If  I  am  in  Greenville  I  wish  to  be 
with  you,  and  if  away  I  wish  to  be  writing  to  you.  There  are  few  per- 
sons, my  dear  wife,  who  have  loved  with  that  devotion  and  idolatry 
of  heart  which  has  characterized  my  love.  It  increases  with  the  time  we 
have  been  married,  and  it  will  go  on  increasing  until  death  separates  us. 
I  have  frequently  thought  that  every  feeling  of  my  nature  and  every  affec- 
tion of  my  heart  were  concentrated  in  you.  To  every  other  being  in  this 
world,  I  am  almost  indifferent.  There  is  truth  in  the  remark  which  your 
sisters  made  respecting  me  this  summer,  "that  I  thought  of  no  one  but 
Lizzy."  In  this  I  am  selfish  and  proud  of  my  selfishness.  I  do  not 
believe  in  a  divided  allegiance. 

But  my  darling,  I  have  not  time  to  comment  further  on  my  love.  I 
have  been  interrupted  two  or  three  times  since  I  commenced  writing.  Mr, 
Maverick  has  just  left  my  room  after  a  long  consultation  about  his  land 
cases  and  Mr.  F.  Burt  has  been  in  on  business.  I  have  eight  or  ten  im- 
portant cases  in  Court,  some  of  them  will  be  tried  to-morrow.     But  I  caiir 


To  His  Wif^.  55 

not  expect  to  be  as  fortunate  with  them  as  I  was  with  my  cases  at  Pickens. 
I  can  always  give  a  pretty  good  guess  as  to  my  success. 

I  arrived  here  on  Sunday  evening  very  tired  and  very  hungry,  not 
having  ate  anything  after  leaving  Greenville.  I  found  Judge  Butler  here 
who  enquired  after  your  mother,  etc.,  and  was  much  surprised  to  hear 
they  had  gone  to  town.  Mr.  Burt  enquired  very  kindly  after  your  health, 
etc. 

Mr.  Duncan  reached  here  this  evening  from  Greenville,  but  was  not 
able  to  give  me  any  information  of  interest  as  to  the  village.  When  I 
shall  be  able  to  leave  here  is  altogether  uncertain.  I  hope  Thursday  or 
Friday,  but  very  likely  not  till  Saturday.  It  is  altogether  uncertain. 
You  must  write  me  by  Thursday's  mail.  Put  your  letter  in  the  office 
before  five  o'clock  Wednesday  evening.-  You  will  have  all  day  to  write. 
And  it  will  be  so  pleasant  to  receive  a  letter  from  you.  It  will  also  give 
me  great  satisfaction  to  hear  that  you  are  well  and  not  low  in  spirits.  Let 
me  hear  all  the  news, — whether  j^ou  have  heard  from  your  mother  who  has 
left  the  Mansion  House,  how  you  spend  your  time,  what  they  are  doing 
at  our  house  and  kitchen,  etc. 

I  am  interrupted  so  often  that  I  will  close  my  letter.  Almost  a  dozen 
persons  have  been  in  the  room  since  I  commenced  writing. 

Your  affectionate  and  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 
Tuesday  Morning. 

My  Dear  Wife: — After  writing  you  last  night  I  took  up  a  book 
whose  title  is  "  Young  Ladies'  Library,"  in  seven  or  eight  volumes,  and 
never  was  I  more  deeply  interested  in  a  work  of  that  character.  I  will 
purchase  it  for  you  this  winter  if  it  is  to  be  found  in  Charleston  or  Colum- 
bia. It  is  a  most  invaluable  book,  and  treats  a  little  of  every  thing  rela- 
tive to  the  conduct,  education  and  management  of  young  ladies,  the 
employment  of  their  time,  influence,  education,  dress,  dancing,  music, 
friends,  visitors,  household  affairs.  In  fact  everything  worth  a  young 
lady's  study. 

I  am  now  satisfied  I  shall  xiot  be  able  to  leave  here  before  the  last  of 
the  week,  perhaps  not  till  Saturday.  I  will  write  you  again  by  Mr.  Dun- 
can who  will  leave  Wednesday  or  Thursday.  You  must  be  certain  to 
write  me  on  to-morrow. 

I  wish  you  had  come  over  with  me.  I  have  a  fine  room  and  this  is  a 
most  capital  house,  pleasant  and  quiet  chambers.  And  if  you  were 
here  I  should  remain  with  pleasure.  But  as  it  is  I  am  like  a  man  on  a 
bed  of  thorns.     Dear  Lizzy,  good  morning. 

Yours,  my  wife, 

B.  F.  Perry, 


56  LEtT:ERS  OF  Benjamin  F".  Perry 

Anderson  C.  H.,  Wednesday  night. 

My  Dear  Wife: — Mr.  Duncan  leaves  here  in  the  morning  for  Green- 
ville, and  I  will  not  forego  the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you,  although  it  is 
now  eight  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  I  have  just  left  the  Court  House  after 
a  most  laborious  trial  of  one  of  my  cases.  That  good  luck  which  seemed 
to  hover  over  me  at  Pickens  has  not  yet  deserted  me  in  Anderson.  The 
first  one  of  my  cases  was  tried  to-day.  It  was  a  land  case  of  Mr.  Dun- 
can's, and  the  jury  have  just  returned  a  verdict  in  my  favor.  The  case 
was  a  matter  of  some  consequence  and  excited  a  good  deal  of  feeling  and 
interest.  I  am  very  proud  of  our  success  in  the  case,  and  Mr.  Duncan 
seems  equallj^  well  pleased. 

When  I  shall  be  able  to  return  to  you,  my  dear  wife,  is  yet  uncertain, 
perhaps  not  till  Sunday.  We  get  on  very  slowly,  only  one  of  my  cases 
has  been  tried,  and  I  have  five  more  of  importance  to  try.  But  I  assure 
you  that  a  poor  fellow  was  never  detained  from  his  love  more  reluctantly. 
I  am  so  restless  and  impatient  that  even  success  in  my  cases  cannot  recon- 
cile me  to  the  Court. 

I  am  very  much  in  hopes  that  I  shall  hear  from  you  in  the  morning 
by  the  Greenville  stages.  If  you  only  knew  how  much  pleasure  one  line 
from  you  would  give  me,  I  am  sure  you  would  have  written.  But  oh,  if 
3^ou  have  not  written  to  me,  low  will  be  my  spirits  and  how  pained  my 
heart.  I  wrote  you  on  Tuesday  and  supposed  you  received  the  letter.  I 
will  write  you  again  on  Friday,  if  possible. 

I  have  just  been  struck  with  a  most  wonderful  metamorphosis.  Some 
years  since  I  knew  a  little  girl  at  school  in  Greenville,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Mr.  Maverick.  She  was  a  pretty  and  pleasant  little  girl  when 
I  last  saw  her,  quite  a  girl  in  her  appearance  and  manners.  To-day  I 
saw  a  lady  come  to  the  dinner  table  and  take  her  seat  opposite  me,  who 
looked  as  if  she  might  weigh  three  hundred  and  was  at  least  forty  years 
old  (allowing  for  a  little  exaggeration).  She  was  just  from  New  York  on 
her  way  to  Pendleton,  in  company  with  her  husband,  and  was  Miss 
Lydia  Maverick  (quondam).  Never  did  I  see  so  wonderful  a  metamor- 
phosis before  in  the  shape  of  woman. 

I  have  read  some  little  further  in  the  **  Young  Lady's  Library."  One 
chapter  on  the  subject  of  a  young  lady  choosing  her  friends  seems  to  me 
almost  a  repetition  of  a  conversation  which  you  heard  between  your 
mother  and  myself.  We  must  not  choose  our  friends  too  hastily,  nor 
abandon  them  for  every  little  fault.  There  are  none  who  are  perfect,  and 
we  must  not  expect  perfection  in  our  friends.  No  two  minds  are  cast 
exactly  alike.     On  the  subject  of  "  gossip,"  "company,"  etc.,  I  thought 


To  His  Wii^K.  57 

Mrs. might  derive  advantage  from  the  perusal  of  it.     But  it  is  a 

work  of  great  value  to  every  one. 

I  suppose  you  have  heard  before  this  time  from  your  mother.  The 
weather  since  she  left  has  been  very  favorable.  I  suppose  the  Mansion 
House  is  getting  pretty  thin — perhaps  I  should  say  pretty  full — for  the 
races  have  commenced.  But  I  care  but  little  for  the  sport  and  much  less 
for  the  company  ordinarily  attracted  by  it— fakirs  and  gamblers,  swindlers 
and  idlers,  etc.  jo^kt>j. 

How  comes  on  the  house  and  kitchen  ?     What  have  you  been  doing 
I  am  j  ust  employed  in  another  case  and  must  stop  to  talk  with  my  client. 
God  bless  you,  my  darling,  good  night.  Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Andkrson  C.  H.,  October  19th. 

Afy  Dear  Lizzy. — I  received  to-day  your  letter,  which  is  the  first  one 
ever  received  from  you  in  which  I  was  addressed  as  "  My  dear  husband." 
You  do^  not  know,  my  dear  wife,  what  sincere  pleasure  the  using  of  this 
epithet,  for  the  first  time,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  me,  gave  my  throbbing 
heart.     It  filled  my  bosom  with  emotions  which  I  cannot  describe. 

I  can  assure  you  that  I  never  received  a  letter  which  gave  me  greater 
pleasure.  I  was  in  the  Court  House  when  the  stage  arrived  and  imme- 
diately left  for  the  post-office.  The  Postmaster  had  started  with  the  letter 
in  his  hand  to  give  me  in  the  Court  House.  He  knew,  I  suppose,  it  was 
from  my  wife,  and  conjectured  my  anxiety  to  receive  it.  I  went  to  the 
post-office  and  missed  him,  returned  into  Court  and  found  him  in  the 
crowd  with  the  letter  in  his  hat.  He  is  a  particular  friend  of  mine  and  a 
very  clever  man.  I  took  the  letter,  went  to  the  bar  and  seated  myself 
amongst  the  lawyers,  and  read  every  word  with  deep  interest  whilst  Mr. 
puA-Bttsk  was  making  a  speech. 

How  much  the  heart  that  truly  loves  appreciates  every  assurance  of 
love  from  the  object  of  its  passion  !  I  read  with  peculiar  delight  every 
expression  of  your  feelings,  and  would  not  take  a  thousand  dollars  for 
each  word  contained  in  your  letter. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  how  pleasantly  you  spend  your  time.  I  hope  you 
will  bring  up  your  journal  to  the  present  time  before  I  return.  The  house 
will  have  something  worth  seeing  before  my  return.  But  whenever  I 
think  of  my  detention  here  I  am  in  great  distress.  But  oh,  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  you.     I  begin  to  believe  a  short  absence  increases  love.     A 


58  Lkttkrs  of  Bknjamin  F.  Perry 

week,  however,  is  too  long  an  absence.  What  shall  I  do  this  Winter? 
How  pleasant  it  would  be  to  have  you  in  Columbia.  But  more  of  this 
when  we  meet.  I  will  now  give  you  some  further  information  relative  to 
my  cases. 

I  wrote  you  last  night  by  Mr.  Duncan,  that  one  of  my  cases  had  been 
decided  in  my  favor.  To-day  we  have  tried  three  more  of  them.  I  have 
gained  two  and  lost  oiTe  of  them.  Two  more  are  to  be  put  off  to-morrow 
morning  till  next  Court.  This  will  leave  me  but  one  more  to  try.  If  it 
was  not  for  this  one,  I  could  go  in  the  stage  to-morrow.  But  this  is  a  case 
of  some  importance,  and  one  in  which  I  was  employed  last  night.  My 
business  is  beginning  to  increase  pretty  rapidly.  I  have  made  several 
hundred  dollars  this  Court,  but  have  not  yet  received  one  dollar  of  the 
money.  The  fees  are  all  certain,  however.  It  affords  me  much  greater 
pleasure  now  to  make  money  than  it  formerly  did.  I  hope  in  a  year  or 
two  that  we  shall  have  an  ampl^^Gpirie-*^attr:inCome  sufficient  to  live  on 
in  handsome  style,  but  not  to  spend  with  a  i^frodigal's  hand. 

I  am  not  yet  able  to  say«\ylien'I.siial$  be  ^bfe  to  get  off;  perhaps  on 
Saturday  morning.  Judge  ^tj^r^. has  given  nj^d.an  invitation  to  return 
with  him,  but  if  I  can  procure  a-*!^^^' J •;y\alll^lj^e 'before  he  does.  Since 
the  continuance  of  my  cases,  I  think  it  likely  Court  will  adjourn  to- 
morrow night.     If  so,  I  will  see  you,  my  dear  wife,  on  Saturday  evening. 

It  is  now  past  ten  o!  clock  and  I  must  bid  you  good  night.  I  have 
written  in  a  great  hurry  and  you  must  excuse  the  scrawl. 

Ever  your  loving  and  devoted  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 

I  suppose  you  have  heard  from  your  mother  before  this.  I  am  sorry 
your  Aunt  Kmily  has  left.  I  should  liked  to  have  seen  her  before  she 
started. 

Arthur  Simpkins  arrived  here  this  evening  on  his  way  to  Pendleton 
after  Miss  Maria.  I  have  barely  had  time  to  speak  to  him,  as  I  did  not 
leave  the  Court  House  till  dark,  and  had  my  room  full  of  clients  ever 
since  till  within  a  few  minutes  past. 


UK 


IVBRSI 


To  .His  Wife.  59 

Pickens  C.  H.,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Wife: — I  am  very  much  fatigued  and  worried,  but  will 
compose  myself  for  a  few  minutes  to  write  you  by  Colonel  Towns,  who 
starts  in  the  morning  for  Greenville. 

I  have  been  very  much  engaged  since  my  arrival  here  on  Sunday  eve- 
ning, and  have  not  had  the  same  general  success  with  my  cases  which  I 
had  last  Court.  But  they  have  been  all  very  trifling  ones — indictments 
for  fighting.  The  most  important  which  I  have  has  been  postponed  till 
next  Court.  We  commenced  one  to-day  for  stealing  a  free  negro  boy,  in 
which  I  have  been  employed  since  my  arrival.  It  is  not  finished.  Gen- 
eral Whitner  and  myself  have  speeches  to  make  in  the  morning.  Mr. 
Young  made  his  this  evening.  I  get  a  pretty  good  fee,  and  hope  we  may 
be  able  to  acquit  the  defendants,  but  it  is  very  doubtful.  The  will  case 
of  Mr.  Choice's  which  you  heard  me  mention  will  be  tried  Thursday,  and  I 
hope  to  be  at  home  on  Friday  night.  I  have  done  pretty  well  in  the  way 
of  business. 

I  have  met  here  my  two  brothers,  Josiah  and  Foster.  They  inquired 
kindly  after  you,  and  informed  me  that  all  of  my  father's  family  are  well. 

I  inquired  of  Mr.  Young  if  you  were  at  the  breakfast  table  on  Sunday 
morning,  and  you  do  not  know  how  much  pleasure  it  gave  me  to  hear 
from  you,  even  one  hour  after  I  had  left  you.  He  said  you  were  at  the 
table  and  quite  well.  My  dear  Liz,  you  have  been  present  in  my  heart 
and  mind,  awake  and  asleep,  ever  since  I  left.  The  first  thing  I  thought 
of  in  the  morning  after  waking  or  half  waking,  was  yourself.  More  than 
once  I  turned  over  and  put  out  my  arms  to  encircle  you  in  them  and  found 
nothing  but  my  pillow  and  coverlet  to  touch.  How  much  would  I  have 
given  only  to  have  seen  your  face  and  that  sleepy  smile  which  it  wears  in 
the  morning.  I  believe  that  a  short  absence  makes  me  love  you  more,  or 
rather  feel  my  love  more  sensibly.  I  will  not  admit  that  anything  can 
increase  the  ardor  of  my  feelings  towards  you.  But  I  am  not  sensible  of 
the  extent  of  my  passion  for  you  till  I  am  away  from  you.  But  my 
absence  should  not  be  more  than  two  or  three  days,  or  a  week.  It  is 
painful  for  it  to  be  longer. 

I  hope  you  went  to  Mrs  Croft's  on  Sunday  and  took  dinner  with  her 
ladyship,  and  that  you  spend  your  time  pleasantly  in  my  absence.  I 
assure  you  it  gives  me  great  pain  to  think  you  are  lonely  or  not  spending 
your  time  pleasantly.  I  often  think  and  am  afraid  that  you  are  in  the 
room  gloomy,  lonesome  and  sad,  and  how  I  wish  to  be  with  you,  to  talk 
to  you  and  press  you  to  my  heart.  I  hope  you  walk  out  and  go  over  to 
the  house  and  look  at  the  vegetables  in  the  garden,  and  arniuse  yourself 
with  Mrs.  Williams. 


6o  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

As  soon  as  I  can  break  off  from  Court,  you  may  expect  to  see  me  at 
home,  I  hope  on  Friday  evening.  It  is  now  late  in  the  night,  and  I  have 
to  think  of  my  speech  for  to-morrow.  There  is  great  noise  too  in  the 
next  room.  I  have  the  same  room  that  we  had  last  Summer,  and  I  assure 
you  it  has  endeared  it  to  me.  I  think  of  your  having  laid  in  the  bed 
whenever  I  look  towards  it.  Colonel  Towns  and  Mr.  Roberts  occupy  a 
bed  in  the  same  room,  but  at  present  are  out. 

Give  my  respects  to  Captain  and  Mrs.  Williams,  and  Mrs.  Coleman, 
if  you  think  proper,  or  they  should  inquire  whether  you  have  received  a 
letter  from  me.  How  comes  on  Bancroft  and  the  sheets,  etc.  ?  Does  your 
pocket  change  hold  out  ? 

Adieu,  my  dear  wife,  and  God  bless  you. 

B,  F.  Perry. 


Pickens  C.  H.,  Wednesday  night. 

My  Dear  Wife  : — I  understand  from  Mr.  Choice  that  he  will  leave  for 
Greenville  to-morrow  evening  and  I  will  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity 
of  writing  a  few  lines  by  him.  But  I  assure  you,  my  dear  wife,  that  I  have 
no  time  to  deal  in  sentiment  or  to  express  the  very  great  anxiety  I  have 
to  return  and  press  you  to  my  bosom. 

In  all  probability  I  may  be  able  to  get  off  on  Friday  morning,  though 
I  may  be  detained  here  till  Saturday.  I  have  had  something  to  do  in 
every  case  of  consequence  that  has  been  tried,  and  what  is  remarkable  I 
have  succeeded  in  all  of  them.  I  have  not  lost  a  single  case  this  week 
little  or  big.  Two  of  my  most  important  cases  are  yet  undecided,  one 
will  be  tried  to-morrow  and  the  other  has  been  put  off  till  next  Spring 
Court.  If  I  succeed  in  the  one  to-morrow  I  shall  get  a  very  handsome  fee, 
several  hundred  dollars.  I  have  been  employed  in  a  good  deal  of  new 
business.  But  I  have  said  enough  about  my  business,  I  know  ladies  can 
take  no  interest  in  such  matters. 

I  am  now  seated  in  the  little,  room  which  we  occupied  in  June,  and 
how  much  that  fact  has  endeared  this  room  to  me.  To  my  "  mind's  eye  " 
I  can  see  you  seated  at  the  window  reading  the  * '  Pilgrims  of  the  Rhine  ' ' 
or  near  the  fire-place  listening  to  Milton.  But  oh  !  I  look  round  and  it 
is  all  a  delusion  !     You  are  far  away,  perhaps  not  thinking  of  me. 

Judge  Butler  will  go  from  here  to  Anderson,  and  will  not  return  by 
the  way  of  Greenville,  though  he  is  anxious  to  do  so.  We  had  a  pleasant 
jide  on  Sunday  notwithstanding  the  day.     We  talked  incessantly  and  of 


To  His  Wife.  6i 

everything,  the  ladies  were  not  forgotten,  tell  Miss  Susan  and  Miss  Anne 
that  they  were  not  forgotten  by  his  Honor  or  myself,  nor  was  your  mother; 
you  were  first  in  my  thoughts,  but  too  sacred  to  speak  of,  in  ordinary 
conversation.     It  would  have  been  like  speaking  of  myself. 

I  shall  get  a  horse  of  Mr.  Norton  if  I  can  leave  on  Friday,  if  not  I 
shall  go  in  the  stage  on  Saturday  morning.  Butler  says  he  thinks  I  am 
more  anxious  to  leave  Court  than  I  ever  was  before.  And  I  assured  him 
he  was  correct.  Nothing  but  the  very  important  case  I  am  concerned  in 
co^ild  keep  me  a  day  longer. 

Now  let  me  tell  you  how  I  have  been  employed  since  my  arrival  here. 
Monday  I  defended  a  man  for  fighting,  and  another  for  stealing  a  hog  (a 
grown-up  pig),  they  were  both  acquitted.  I  also  had  several  smaller 
cases  on  the  civil  side  of  the  Court  which  I  gained.  Tuesday  I  was  all 
day  in  defending  a  man  charged  with  stealing  a  cow,  the  same  case  tried 
over  again  which  I  wrote  you  an  account  of  last  Spring,  he  was  acquitted 
this  time.  To-day,  Wednesday  I  have  been  all  day  in  trying  a  land  case 
in  which  we  succeded.     If  my  good  fortune  will  only  continue  to-morrow! 

How  have  you  spent  your  time  !  in  writing  in  your  journal,  reading, 
looking  at  the  hoUvSe,  talking  and  working  ?  I  am  anxious  to  see  how 
much  has  been  done  on  the  house  and  kitchen. 

I  hope  to  find  some  of  the  company  missing,  on  my  return  to  the 
Man.sion  house.  But  above  all  things  I  hope  to  return  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. Colonel  Towns  has  just  been  in  my  room  and  thinks  I  am  yet  in 
love  from  the  fact  of  my  writing  you  and  that  my  letter  will  not  reach 
much  sooner  than  I  do  myself. 

Adieu,  my  dear  wife,  yours, 

B.  F.  Perry. 
Thursday  morning. 

Colonel  Towns  leaves  here  this  morning  and  Twill  .send  this  letter  by 
him.  I  have  nothing  now  to  add  to  what  I  wrote  last  night.  I  still  think 
I  shall  be  able  to  reach  home  on  Friday  evening. 


62  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Andkrson  C.  H.,  Monday  night. 

My  Dear  Wife: — I  left  the  Court  House  this  morning  as  soon  as  I 
found  out  the  stage  had  arrived,  hoping  that  you  had  been  kind  enough 
to  write  me,  and  I  ^assure  you  that  I  never  received  a  letter  with  more 
pleasure.  The  Postmaster  was  just  about  starting  with  it  to  hand  me  in 
Court,  and  excused  himself  for  being  tardy.  He  inquired  with  some 
interest  how  I  had  left  "  Mrs.  Perry,"  and  I  thought  he  seemed  afraid 
something  was  the  matter,  from  the  fact  of  my  receiving  a  letter  so  soon 
after  my  leaving  home. 

You  do  not  know,  my  dear  wife,  with  how  much  interest  I  read  your 
letter  the  second  time,  and  now  have  it  lying  before  me  on  the  table.  It 
gave  me  great  pleasure  to  know  every  little  movement  of  yours  on  Sun- 
day after  I  had  left  home — that  you  read  the  prayer  book,  lay  on  the  bed, 
looked  over  a  chapter  in  Bancroft,  went  down  to  dinner,  etc.  All  these 
little  matters  which  could  be  of  no  interest  to  anyone  except  a  loving 
husband,  were  to  my  heart  and  feelings  full  of  the  liveliest  pleasure.  Oh, 
how  I  dreamed  of  you  last  night.  Me  thought  you  had  presented  me  with 
a  little  son.  I  have  a  most  vivid  and  distinct  recollection  of  its  features, 
so  much  so  that  I  really  believe  I  should  recognize  the  little  creature  if  I 
were  to  see  it,  at  least  that  I  shall  know  it  by  the  dream  when  I  do  see  it. 

You  have  often  told  me  that  my  letters  last  Fall  from  Anderson  were 
the  most  interesting  that  I  ever  wrote  you.  I  am  sorry  that  there  is  no 
probability  of  the  present  one  being  like  tho.se,  although  it  is  written  from 
the  same  place,  in  the  same  room,  and  on  the  same  table,  with  a  heart 
which  I  am  sure  has  lost  none  of  its  devotion  and  affection  during  the 
last  six  months.  No,  Liz,  however  far  this  letter  may  fall  short  of  excit- 
ing in  your  bosom  the  same  gratification  which  those  did  last  Fall,  I  know 
full  well  that  my  love  for  you  has  increased  with  every  minute  that  has 
passed  over  our  heads.  When  I  first  saw  you  my  heart  was  smitten 
with  your  beauty.  When  I  became  acquainted  with  you,  I  loved  you 
for  your  virtues,  your  intelligence  and  your  amiability.  When  our  lives 
and  fortunes,  for  good  or  for  evil,  were  connected  by  the  sacred  tie  of 
marriage,  I  felt  towards  you  as  a  part  and  parcel  of  myself.  When  I 
became  better  acquainted  with  you,  as  time  passed  on,  I  felt  all  the  con- 
scious pride  which  love  must  feel  in  knowing  that  we  have  not  been  dis- 
appointed in  our  love,  and  that  the  object  of  our  passionate  devotion  is  all 
that  love  dreamed  it  to  be. 

I  very  often  think,  my  dear  wife,  that  there  are  few  persons  who  have 
lived  twelve  months  together  as  husband  and  wife  in  such  perfect  har- 
mony and  affection.  It  is  true  that  both  of  us,  like  passionate  lovers, 
have  had  our  occasional  fits  of  ' '  tantrums, ' '  which  have  been  few  and  far 


To  His  Wife.  63 

between,  and  always  passed  over  in  two  or  three  minutes  and  left  our 
hearts  more  full  than  ever.  But  I  will  not  talk  any  longer  of  love  for  fear 
I  may  commence  and  court  you  over  again  before  I  close  my  letter. 

I  had,  as  you  wished  me,  a  very  pleasant  ride  with  Judge  Gantt.  I 
gave  Mrs.  Gantt  the  apples  you  sent,  and  which  she  received  kindly.  She 
praised  them  and  seemed  to  value  them,  and  inquired  after  your  health, 
etc.  We  reached  Anderson  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  There 
is  not  likely  to  be  much  business  in  court.  I  think  we  shall  adjourn  on 
Wednesday  evening.  The  most  important  cases  which  I  had  here  will  be 
put  off  till  next  court.  I  tried  one  little  assault  and  battery  to-day  and 
the  fellow  was  convicted.  A  case  of  Mr.  Perry  Duncan's  will  be  tried 
to-morrow.  There  is  a  case  of  murder  to  be  tried  on  Wednesday.  I  am 
not,  however,  employed  in  it.  I  have  got  some  additional  cases  since  I 
arrived  here. 

I  did  not  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  Mr.  Armstead  Burt  here.  He 
will  not  be  at  Greenville  ;  Mr.  Wardlow  will,  though  he  is  not  here. 
General  Whitner's  lady  has  given  him  another  child,  and  she  is  doing 
quite  well.  I  believe  he  has  six  children;  and  it  seems  but  the  otber  day 
I  walked  with  his  wife  as  groomsman  to  Dr.  Robinson.  So  quickly  does 
the  human  family  multiply  and  increase  ;  so  quickly,  I  might  say,  do  they 
fulfil  the  Scriptures. 

I  have  been  reading  the  "  Young  I^ady's  lyibrary  "  again.  It  is  the 
most  valuable  book  for  a  young  lady  that  I  ever  saw.  I  will  purchase  it 
for  you  some  day.  I  hope  you  visit  the  house  and  see  that  everything  is 
going  on  well — that  poor  Sheriff  is  at  work — he  is  a  good-hearted  fellow 
with  all  of  his  rascality.  If  he  is  not  at  work  with  Colonel  Hoke  on  the 
streets,  make  him  clean  all  of  your  brass,  wash  the  outside  of  the  win- 
dows, make  potato  hills  or  ridges  and  plant  potatoes,  and  make  tables  and 
benches  for  the  kitchen. 

I  hope  you  have  received  a  letter  from  your  mother,  and  that  they  are 
all  well. 

I  must  now  bid  you  adieu,  my  dear  wife. 

B.  F.  Perry. 

[The  next  letters  were  to  Mrs.  Perry  while  visiting  in  Charleston 
City.] 


64  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  Thursday,  November  30th,  3  P.  M. 

My  Dear  Wife : — I  have  hardly  time  to  inform  you  that  I  reached 
this  place  about  five  o'clock  this  morning,  not  having  slept  any  and  very 
much  fatigued.  I  had  to  go  into  the  Court  of  Appeals  immediately  after 
breakfast  to  argue  one  of  my  cases  which  was  waiting  my  arrival,  thence 
to  the  Legislature,  which  I  have  just  left,  and  have  not  yet  had  time  to 
eat  dinner.  What  the  decision  of  the  Judges  will  be  in  the  case  argued 
I  am  unable  to  say. 

I  saw  Mr.  Wm.  E.  Hayne  and  Colonel  Martin  and  Colonel  Taylor  this 
morning.  I  am  rather  afraid  that  Mr.  Hayne' s  prospects  are  not  so  good 
as  I  thought.  I  staid  too  long  in  town.  But  I  have  been  very  active  to- 
day in  his  behalf.  The  Greenville  delegation  will  be  equally  divided. 
From  Newbery  I  have  gained  two  and  two  more  from  the  Pedee  county. 
His  prospects  are  growing  better. 

I  saw  Governor  Butler  this  morning.  He  says  he  and  Mrs.  Butler 
have  written  to  Anne  to  come  and  spend  the  session  with  them,  and  is 
anxious  for  yoM  to  come  also,  and  says  you  miglrt  towards  the  latter  part 
of  the  session.  You  do  not  know,  Liz,  how  much  pleasure  it  would  afford 
me  .for  you  to  do  so.  I  feel  already  as  if  I  had  been  separated  from  you 
a  month.  How  I  shall  be  able  to  spend  the  session,  three  long  weeks, 
without  the  smiles  and  sweet  tones  of  my  dear  Liz,  I  know  not.  If  you 
were  only  here  it  would  be  so  delightful.  I  think  of  you  every  minute  in 
the  day  and  wonder  to  myself  what  you  are  doing  and  how  you  are  spend- 
ing your  time.  I  am  more  anxious  to  hear  from  you  than  I  ever  was  in 
my  life.  Write  me  every  day.  My  time  is  not  my  own  or  I  would  do  the 
same. 

Nothing  of  interest  has  yet  occurred  in  the  Legislature.  It  is  thought 
the  elections  will  come  on  next  Saturday.  The  session  will  be  a  short 
one.  I  have  taken  lodgings  at  Clark's  Hotel  and  much  pleased  with  the 
house.  I  came  up. in  company  with  several  acquaintances  as  far  as 
Branchville,  and  Mr  w .  Huger  and  others  to  this  place.  I  have  heard 
from  Greenville  two  or  three  times,  letters  from  Wells,  Blasingame  and 
others.  The  plastering  of  our  house  is  finished.  Judge  Gantt  inquired 
most  kindly  about  you  and  spoke  of  my  house  as  the  handsomest  he  had 
seen,  and  alluded  to  my  happiness;  says  he  is  anxious  for  us  to  be  social 
and  intimate  with  his  family,  that  his  afflictions  have  prevented  his  pay- 
ing us  the  attentions  he  intended.  All  the  Judges  inquired  about  you 
this  morning  when  I  made  my  appearance  in  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and 
aV*,o  Colonel  Fair  with  much  interest,  and  many  others. 


To  His  Wikk.  65 

But,  my  dear  wife,  I  must  conclude.     I  am  hurried,   and  worried  by 
the  loss  of  sleep,  too  much,  to  think  at  all. 

God  bless  you  and  protect  you.     Give  my  love  to  the  family. 

Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia  S.  C,  Sunday  morning,  December  3d. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Your  letter  was  handed  me  this  morning,  by  the 
bar-keeper,  who  goes  to  the  post-office  whilst  the  members  are  at  break- 
fast. I  read  it  with  great  interest  and  went  to  the  State  House  immedi- 
ately for  the  purpose  of  answering  it,  but  could  not  get  admittance,  to-day 
being  Sunday.  I  mention  this  as  an  apology  for  the  paper  on  which  I  am 
writing.     It  is  a  sheet,  and  the  only  sheet,  I  could  get  in  the  bar-room. 

So  far  from  being  displeased  at  your  purchases,  I  am  very  much 
gratified  and  especially  to  know  that  you  have  pleased  your  own  fancy. 
You  are  no  doubt  right  in  getting  good  carpeting  although  you  have  more 
to  pay  for  it.  I  am  not  disposed  to  ' '  scold  ' '  you  for  anything  you  have 
purchased,  but  hope  you  will  go  on  in  making  your  purchases  as  to  your 
"  experience  "  and  good  judgment  may  seem  best. 

I  have  been  looking  at  silver  cups,  teaspoons  and  butter  knives,  and 
am  very  much  pleased  with  some  I  have  seen  :  cups,  very  beautiful,  at 
twelve  and  fifteen  dollars,  teaspoons  at  twelve  dollars,  butter  knives, 
most  beautiful  and  silver,  at  six  and  seven  dollars.  But  I  will  not  make 
any  purchase  at  present.  There  are  two  very  fine  stores  of  this  descrip- 
tion in  Columbia. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  and  the  young  ladies  are  pleased  with  the 
diamond  rings.'  I  hope  they  will  always  wear  them  as  a  memento  of  my 
love  and  respect  for  them.  I  have  a  great  fondness  for  jewels  and  think 
nothing  so  appropriate  for  a  handsome  gift.  They  wear  always,  and  are 
like  the  feeling  should  be  which  makes  the  gift — enduring,  bright  and 
indestructible. 

Nothing  of  interest  has  yet  been  done  in  the  lyCgislature.  I  have 
risen  two  or  three  times  to  make  a  few  remarks,  and  my  usual  good  luck 
attended  me  in  being  successful  in  the  motions  which  I  made.  Mr. 
Hayne's  election  will  not  come  on  till  Tuesday.  I  think  his  chance  of 
success  pretty  good.  Considerable  exertions  have  been  made  for  him.  I 
have  done  all  I  can.     I  met  Walker  and  told  him  I  was  going  to  exert 


66  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

my  influence  against  him.     He  said  he  thought  none  the  less  of  me,  but 
I  could  perceive  that  he  was  a  good  deal  chagrined. 

Mr.  Albert  Rhett  inquired  how  you  were  the  other  evening  and  when 
I  had  left  you,  and  replied  that  I  was  certainly  fulfilling  the  part  of  a 
good  husband.  I  am  much  pleased  with  Rhett.  His  course  in  the  Legis- 
lature is  marked  by  a  noble  and  manly  bearing  on  all  questions.  He  is 
a  man  of  decided  talent  and  ability  and  will  one  day  be  an  honor  to  his 
country. 

I  went  with  Doctor  Blanding  the  other  day,  accompanied  by  Colonel 

juuL     Harper  and  others,  to  the  cotton  factory  near  this  place,  and  on  our  return 

we  took  tea  with   Dr.  Blanding.       He  entertained  us  quite  handsomely 

with  wine,  fruits,  cake  and  music.     His  wife  and  little  daughter  were  the 

only  ladies  present. 

The  College  Commencement  is  on  Monday,  and  the  ball  soon  after- 
wards, at  this  house.     I  do  not  know  that  I  shall  attend  either. 

It  is  thought  that  the  Legislature  will  adjourn  about  the  i6th  inst. 
If  so,  I  shall  be  much  delighted.  How  I  long  to  see  you,  my  dear  wife, 
and  press  you  once  more  to  that  l;ieart  which  loves  you  so  fondly. 

Yours  affectionately, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Wednesday  morning,  December  6. 

My  Dear  Wife: — You  must  not  wait  for  me  to  answer  all  of  your 
letters.  You  have  time  to  write  and  I  have  not.  From  the  time  I  get  up 
in  the  morning  till  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night,  I  am  constantly  engaged 
in  the  Legislature,  or  the  Court  of  Appeals,  or  on  Committees. 

Your  letter  yesterday  gave  me  great  pleasure,  and  I  was  becoming 
exceedingly  anxious  to  hear  from  you  again.  I  asked  Mr.  Hayne 
if  he  had  heard  from  home,  and  whether  anything  was  said  about  you  and 
your  mother. 

.There  was  one  balloting  for  Comptroller  yesterday — Walker,  68  ; 
Hayne,  54,  and  Brown,  27.  No  election  made.  Brown  has  withdrawn, 
and  the  result  will  be  known  this  evening.  I  will  keep  my  letter  open 
to  write  you,  but  I  fear  Walker  will  be  successful.  He  is  a  better  hand 
to  electioneer  than  Mr.  Hayne.  I  have  done  all  I  could,  but  I  was  not 
able  to  do  much.  Those  members  over  whom  I  might  have  had  some 
influence  were  pretty  much  pledged  to  Walker  on  my  return  from  town. 


To  His  Wife.  67 

We  had  considerable  discussion  in  the  Legislature  yesterday,  and  I 
made  several  short  speeches  and  was  successful  in  all  of  them.  Gordon 
and  Philips,  of  Charleston,  made  long  speeches  in  favor  of  extending  the 
prison  bounds  to  the  districts,  which  I  opposed  and  defeated  with  the 
assistance  ofRhett  and  Dudley.  There  was  also  a  bill  introduced  by 
Colonel  Harper  to  punish  some  kind  of  manslaughter  with  death, ^which  I 
opposed  in  a  speech  of  some  warmth,  and  defeated  with  the  assistance  of 
Colonel  Memminger. 

On  my  return  from  the  Committee  Monday  night  about  ten  o'clock, 
I  found  this  house  of  Clark's  filled  with  some  hundreds  of  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen, dancing,  waltzing,  talking,  walking  and  standing.  A  splendid 
band  of  music  was  playing  in  the  large  entry,  and  which  sounded  like 
thunder.  The  ladies  were  dressed  in  a  most  rich  and  gaudy  style — bad 
taste,  I  thought.  I  will  describe  one.  She  had  a  white  dress  of  the 
richest  and  most  costly  material  (I  can't  name  the  material),  over  which 
she  wore  a  red  scarlet  silk  velvet  jacket  coming  down  to  her  waist  and 
fitting  very  close.  She  had  on  her  head  wreaths  of  flowers  upon  wreaths 
of  flowers,  and  around  her  neck  a  profusion  of  jewelry.  There  was 
another  with  a  red  dress  out  and  out,  but  they  were  all  distinguished  for 
head  dresses.  I. saw  Langdon  Cheves  waltzing  with  one,  and  it  appeared 
that  his  arm  in  the  whirl  of  the  waltz  had  entirely  encircled  the  slender 
and  delicate  waist  of  the  fair  lady  whom  he  seemed  to  support  with  his 
hand.  In  the  room  there  was  a  complete  jam,  ladies  and  gentlemen  all 
squeezed  up  together.  Colonel  Player  came  up  to  where  I  was  standing, 
looking  on  with  Colonel  Memminger,  Frost  and  Colonel  Edwards,  and 
observed  to  me  that  it  was  pollution  to  enter  the  room  where  any  one  was 
suffered  to  go  who  would  pay  his  five  dollars.  Governor  Butler  was 
dressed  in  full  and  rich  uniform,  sword  and  all,  and  had  a  young  lady  on 
his  arm  promenading  the  entry. 

But,  my  dear  wife,  I  looked  around  on  all  the  groups  of  richly  dressed 
belles,  and  saw  none  whose  beauty  could  vie  with  yours — none  whose 
faces  wore  such  charms  and  smiles  of  beauty,  loveliness  and  innocence. 
No,  not  one  !  Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry.     . 

P.  S. — Mr.  Hayne  is  elected  by  six  votes.     Send  Word. 


68  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  Saturday  morning,  December  loth. 

My  Dear  Wife  : — I  received  your  letter  yesterday  informing  me  of  the 
death  of  Judge  Pickett,  and  I  was  truly  shocked  at  the  intelligence.  His 
death  is  to  be  much  lamented.  From,  the  short  acquaintance  which  I  had 
with  him  in  Greenville,  I  was  induced  to  think  and  speak  of  him  in  very 
high  terms.  He  was  a  man  of  sense  and  considerable  information,  gentle- 
manly and  unassuming  in  his  manners,  and  possessed  a  kind  heart  and  an 
amiable  disposition — a  combination  of  virtues  which  are  by  no  means  to 
be  found  in  the  character  of  every  one. 

I  think  with  you,  my  dear  wife^  in  saying  that  it  should  be  a  source 
of  pride  and  gratification  to  Miss  ^^^^^  to  know  that  she  excited  so  deep 
a  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  one  whose  heart  was  so  noble.  And  it  may  be 
as  you  say  all  for  the  best,  though  we  cannot  see  or  understand  it.  Had 
Judge  Pickett  lived  another  twelve-month.  Miss  l/]l^lp.  might  herself 
have  been  the  victim  of  that  wretched  climate  of  Montgomery.  I  am  one 
of  thOvSe  who  in  good  and  in  evil,  have  always  believed  in  the  providence 
of  God.  And  there  is  no  one  who  is  less  inclined  than  myself  to  be  dis- 
turbed or  have  my  happiness  destroyed  by  that  which  I  cannot  help. 

I  wished  to  write  you  yesterday,  but  had  not  time.  I  was  appointed 
the  chairman  of  a  special  committee  on  the  formation  of  a  new  judicial 
district  at  Aiken,  and  had  to  make  out  my  report  and  bill.  I  wrote  con- 
stantly from  five  in  the  evening  till  eleven  at  night  ;  did  not  get  up  from 
my  table  except  to  go  to  suppper,  and  then  in  the  morning,  yesterday,  I 
was  framing  a  bill,  etc.,  until  eleven  o'clock.  I  have  labored  so  hard  that 
I  have  almost  broken  myself  down.  In  the  House  I  have  been  pretty 
active  and  very  successful.  In  the  Court  of  Appeals  I  lost  the  case  of 
Colonel  Jones  against  Mr.  Dickey.  It  is  sent  back  to  Greenville  for  a 
new  trial,  but  I  will  gain  it  before  the  jur}^  again. 

You  must  write  me  how  you  come  on  shopping.  I  have  confidence 
in  your  judgment  and  "  experience,"  and  have  no  doubt  you  will  be  pru- 
dent and  economical  in  all  of  your  purchavSes.  I  wish  that  I  had  a  for- 
tune so  that  I  might  furnish  you  with,  in  your  own  language,  "plenty  of 
money. ' ' 

•  I  was  invited  to  Colonel  Hampton's  last  night  to  a  grand  and 
splendid  party,  but  did  not  attend.  The  good  people  of  Columbia  are 
giving  a  great  many  balls,  parties,  dinners,  etc.  The  ladies  are  crowding 
the  galleries  of  the  Representative  Hall,  and  we  are  legi.slating  encircled 
by  beauty. 

In  great  haste,  your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To  His  Wife.  69 

P.  S. — The  time  of  our  adjournment  is  yet  uncertain.  It  seems  that 

I  have  been  here  a  month.     I  never  was  so  anxious  to  leave  a  place 

before,  nor  so  impatient  to  see  my  wife.  B.  F.  P. 


C01.UMBIA,  December  15,  1837.     Thursday,  P.  M. 

My  Dear  Liz: — I  have  just  returned  this  evening  from  a  dinner 
party  at  Governor  Butler's,  and  having  taken  two  or  three  glasses  of 
champagne,  I  feel  more  affectionate  than  ever,  and  can  only  show  my 
feelings  by  writing  to  you.  There  were  some  ten  or  fifteen  persons  at  the 
dinner,  and  amongst  them  General  Hayne,  Judge  O'Neil,  Judge  Evans, 
Judge  Butler,  Chancellor  Harper,  President  of  the  Senate  and  the 
Speakers  of  the  House  of  Representatives  (Colonel  Noble  and  Wardlaw), 
General  Jones,  General  Whitner,  Mr.  Pettigru  and  Mr.  Bennett.  I  went 
after  the  lyCgislature  adjourned,  in  company  with  Pettigru  and  Bennett ; 
the  rest  of  the  company  had  assembled,  and  were  awaiting  our  arrival. 
The  dinner  was  very  good  and  the  wine  most  excellent.  Judge  Butler 
and  Pettigru  seemed  to  contribute  more  to  our  social  amusement  than  any 
others.  Pettigru  is  a  noble  fellow,  and  one  of  nature's  brightest  and  best 
of  works.  Judge  Butler,  too,  is  a  man  I  sincerely  love.  My  opinion  of 
your  Uncle  Robert  you  have  often  heard  me  express.  Judge  Kvans  and 
Judge  O'Neil  are  likewise  my  favorites.  We  had  indeed  a  fine  company ^ 
Judge  Colcock  was  also  with  us.  Pettigru  and  myself  were  the  last  to 
leave,  the  others  stole  off  at  different  times.  His  Excellency  was  in  fine 
spirits,  and  his  entertainment  was  a  good  one. 

I  have  received  letters  from  Greenville  saying  that  Colonel  Dunham 
is  building  the  smoke  house  ;  that  the  painter  is  busy  at  work,  etc. 
Crook  sends  his  and  Mrs.  Crook's  respects  to  you.  Mr.  Hayden  left  here 
yesterday  for  Mobile,  having  just  been  admitted  to  the  Bar.  He  gave  me 
a  present  of  a  writing  desk  and  begged  to  be  remembered  to  you.  Dr. 
Hardy,  of  Ashville,  inquired  very  kindly  after  you  ;  he  was  here  on  the 
subject  of  the  railroad. 

We  have  done  a  good  deal  in  the  Legislature  lately.  I  made  a  speech 
the  other  day  on  the  currency,  which  was  listened  to  with  great  attention. 
To-day  I  spoke  on  the  subject  of  making  a  new  district  at  Aiken.  Petti- 
gru and  others  replied  to  me.  The  House  became  tired  ol  the  debate, 
and  I  rose  to  speak  again,  when  the  cry  of  "  question  "  was  heard.  In- 
stantly my  feelings  were  aroused,  and  I  had  not  uttered  two  words  before 


70  IvETTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

silence,   death-like,   prevailed.     They  saw  from  my  manner  that  I  was 
deeply  excited.  Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 
P.  S. — This  morning  I  received  another  note  from  Governor  and  Mrs. 
Butler,  requesting  my  company  on    Monday  evening.     I  suppose  there 
will  be  a  grand  display-.  B.  F.  P. 


Columbia,  December  i8th. — Sunday  evening. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  have  just  returned  from  a  family  dinner  with  your 
kinsman.  Colonel  Taylor.  I  expected  to  have  returned  in  time  to  have 
written  you  by  this  evening's  mail,  but  could  not. 

I  found  the  Colonel  and  his  lady  quite  happy  and  looking  ver>^  well. 
I  think  Mrs.  Taylor  looks  decidedly  prettier  than  she  did  the  night  of  our 
marriage.  Whilst  sitting  at  the  head  of  the  table  I  looked  at  her  and 
thought  I  could  discover  some  likeness  to  yourself — not  so  pretty,  of 
course — but  something  alike.  There  were  present  at  dinner  Colonel 
Elmore  and  his  lady,  Colonel  Chestnut,  Mr.  Albert  Rhett,  a  Mr.  Hall  and 
your  little  cousin.  Miss  Hayne,  and  two  other  little  girls.  We  spent  our 
time  very  pleasantly,  the  ladies  retired,  and  Rhett  and  myself  talked  over 
the  affairs  of  the  nation.  Mrs.  Rhett,  an  old  acquaintance  of  mine,  did 
not  make  her  appearance.  The  reason  I  know  not.  You  know  that 
Colonel  Taylor  is  living  with  his  mother. 

Your  uncle,  General  Hayne,  came  to  my  room  this  morning  and  sat 
with  me  some  time.  He  addressed  the  Legislature  yesterdaj^  for  two 
hours  and  a  half  on  the  subject  of  the  railroad.  The  gallery  was  filled 
with  ladies,  and  the  House  crowded  with  members.  Senators  and  stran- 
gers. His  speech  was  one  of  great  ability,  eloquence  and  practical  sense, 
breathing  throughout  a  glowing  patriotism  and  devotion  to  South  Caro- 
lina. It  had  the  desired  effect,  and  the  security  which  he  wished  the  State 
to  guarantee  was  voted  by  a  considerable  majority. 

On  Frida}^  evening  we  had  quite  an  animated  debate  on  the  subject  of 
Texas,  in  which  I  made  a  speech  of  some  length  in  reply  to  Rhett,  and 
which  has  been  very  highly  complimented  by  my  friends.  Mr.  Pettigru 
rose  in  his  seat  and  thanked  me  in  strong  language  for  expressing  his  own 
feelings  in  such  glowing  and  eloquent  terms.  He  said  to  me  afterwards 
in  private,  that  he  had  no  idea  I  could  speak  with  such  force  and  had 
such  command  of  language.  Colonel  Fair  pronounced  it  the  best  speech 
he  had  heard  during  the  session.     Mr.  Seymour  told  me  that  although 


To  His  Wife.  71 

opposed  to  me  in  sentiment,  he  was  carried  away  by  my  eloquence,  etc. 
I  spoke  under  great  excitement  and  was  well  pleased  myself  with  the 
speech  I  made.  The  House  listened  with  the  deepest  interest,  and  I  could 
see  the  effects  of  what  I  said  in  the  countenance  of  those  who  were  looking 
at  me.  And  I  must  confess  that  it  was  a  proud  gratification  to  me,  to 
watch  the  features  of  my  audience  and  see  the  effect  of  my  language.  I 
took  my  seat  with  as  much  pride  as  ever  I  felt  in  my  life.  Mr.  Rhett 
replied  in  a  short  speech,  and  the  debate  was  postponed  till  Monday.  I 
may  have  to  speak  again  on  Monday. 

My  dear  wife,  you  have  no  idea  how  impatient  I  am  to  see  you.  If 
you  do  not  come  with  me  to  Columbia  next  Fall,  I  will  not  be  a  candidate 
for  a  seat  in  the  Legislature  again.  Your  presence  is  more  to  me  than 
honor  or  wealth.  Your  last  letter  gave  me  great  pleasure,  and  I  hope  to 
hear  from  you  again  on  Tuesday  morning. 

I  am  not  at  all  ' '  gloomy  and  sad, ' '  but  in  a  fine  humor,  and  not  at 
all  displeased  with  you  in  spending  money,  but  only  wish  that  I  had  as 
much  as  you  could  wish  to  spend. 

We  have  bad  weather  and  prospect  of  a  great  deal  of  rain. 

Remember  me  to  all  the  family,  and  may  God  l)less  you,  my  dear 
wife.  Yours  in  love,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Saturday  night. 

My  Dear  Wife : — I  was  very  much  distressed  this  morning  at  receiv- 
ing a  letter  from  you,  expressing  your  disappointment  at  not  hearing  from 
me.  My  darling  wife,  do  you  think  me  capable  of  neglecting  you  ?  I 
am  sure  you  cannot.  At  the  very  time  you  were  expecting  a  letter  from 
me,  I  was  laboring  harder  than  I  ever  did  in  my  life,  and  thinking  of  you 
into  the  bargain,  and  wishing  that  I  had  time  to  write  you.  I  do  assure 
you,  upon  the  honor  of  your  husband,  that  my  duties  are  so  arduous  and 
various  that  I  have  no  rest  or  peacfe. 

To-day  we  have  had  a  good  deal  of  discussion  in  the  House,  in  which 
I  took  a  part.  It  was  proposed  to  adjourn  the  debate  on  the  currency 
till  Monday.  This  I  opposed  in  a  speech  to  the  point,  and  was  successful. 
Colonel  Elmore  introduced  a  bill  to  increase  the  salary  of  the  Treasurer 
of  the  Upper  DivivSion.  This  I  opposed  in  three  or  four  short  speeches, 
and  succeeded,  in  opposition  to  Messrs.  Toomer,  Yeadon,  Mills,  Klmore, 
etc.  The  bill  to  indemnify  the  City  Council  of  Charleston  for  burning  the 
brig  Amelia,  and  make  an  appropriation  of  Ji 2,000  for  the  same,  was 


Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 


opposed  by  Colonel  Adams  and  advocated  by  myself,  Colcock,  Yeadon 
and  Frost.  I  was  again  successful.  In  fact,  I  have  succeeded  in  almost 
every  measure  which  I  have  advocated.  The  bill  to  form  a  new  Judicial 
District  at  Aiken  was  reported  by  me  and  will  be  discussed  on  Tuesday, 
and  I  fear  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  carry  it.  In  fact,  I  have  no  hope  of 
it.  The  success  I  have  had  shows  one  or  two  things,  either  some  influ- 
ence or  good  judgment  on  my  part. 

There  is  to  be  an  election  for  a  Chancellor  in  the  place  of  Judge 
Desausau  this  session.  I  wish  that  your  Uncle  Robert  was  here  and 
would  accept  the  office.  We  are  disposed  to  give  it  to  some  Charleston 
man.  Dunkin  and  Wardlaw  are  candidates.  We  could  elect  Wardlaw, 
but  think  the  lower  country  ought  to  have  some  of  the  judges.  They  are 
now  all  of  them  in  the  upper  country.  The  upper  country  has  the 
strength,  and  if  we  unite  can  always  elect  whom  we  pleavSe. 

I  received  a  letter  the  other  day  from  your  uncle,  Colonel  A.  P. 
Hayne,  enclosing  a  sketch  of  his  life,  and  also  another  letter  from  him 
introducing  his  brother-in-law,  Colonel  Alston.  Colonel  Alston  handed 
me  the  letter  in  the  State  House  when  I  was  very  busy  and  said  he  would 
see  me  again.  I  did  not  know  at  the  time  that  it  was  a  letter  of  introduction, 
and  did  not  observe  his  features  or  appearance.  After  reading  the  letter, 
I  felt  mortified,  but  was  not  able  to  distinguish  him  among  the  crowd.  I 
have  not  vSeen  him  since  to  know.  I  may  have  passed  him  often.  I  in- 
quired of  several  for  him  but  could  get  no  information.  I  am  very  much 
chagrined  at  my  own  incivility  towards  him,  but  cannot  help  it.  Strangers 
are  very  often  handing  me  letters  and  papers  on  business,  and  this  led  to 
the  mistake.  I  will  write  your  uncle  this  week,  thanking  him  for  the 
biographical  sketch  he  was  kind  enough  to  send  me,  and  apologize  for  the 
mivStake. 

Dear  Liz,  I  have  engaged  my  seat  for  the  20th,  and  I  will  be  in  town 
the  2 1  St.  The  Legislature  adjourns  on  the  20th.  My  love  and  my 
prayers  are  with  you.  Good-night. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To  His  Wife.  ,  73 

Columbia,  May  8th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  have  just  arrived  here,  and  have  barely  time  to  say 
that  it  is  more  than  probable  I  shall  be  able  to  return  to  my  wife  and 
home  on  Sunday  evening  next.  The  business  of  the  Court,  so  far,  has 
been  most  rapidly  despatched.  Some  of  my  cases  had  like  to  have  been 
stricken  from  the  docket  in  consequence  of  my  absence.  One  has  been 
tried  and  one  continued.  Mr.  Wardlaw  argued  for  me  the  one  which  was 
tried.  Mr.  Young  and  Colonel  Irby  will  start  home  on  Thursday  morn- 
ing. Mr.  Burt  is  not  here  and  will  not  be  during  the  sitting  of  the  Court, 
nor  will  General  Whitner. 

At  Newbery,  Chancellor  Johnston  and  two  other  gentlemen  got  into 
the  stage  with  me  and  we  had  a  pleasant  ride.  His  Honor  became 
hungry,  and  your  gingerbread  and  jumbles  were  produced  by  me,  and 
we  all  did  them  ample  justice.  The  Chancellor  pronounced  them  very 
nice.  Judge  O'Neil,  Mr.  Wardlaw  and  Colonel  Fair  inquired  after  you. 
I  have  not  seen  any  of  the  other  judges,  as  I  arrived  here  late  this 
evening. 

You  do  not  know,  my  dear  Liz,  the  anxiety  I  feel  about  you.  I  am 
afraid  that  you  may  become  alarmed,  being  all  alone  ;  that  you  may  be 
discontented,  perplexed  or  unhappy  during  my  absence  ;  that  something 
may  go  wrong,  and. that  you  have  too  much  care  on  your  hands.  But  I 
believe  you  to  be  pretty  much  of  a  heroine  and  a  pretty  good  manager, 
and  I  feel  assured  that  you  will  keep  everything  right.  But  I  am  more 
anxious  to  see  you  than  ever,  and  will  greet  you  with  more  pleasure  and 
love  than  I  ever  did,  for  I  never  before  left  you  in  so  interesting  a 
situation — the  mistress  of  a  house — and  I  might  add  another  situation 
which  is  far  more  interesting  to  me. 

I  hope  you  are  feasting  on  strawberries  and  cream,  and  that  you  are 
making  plenty  of  nice  butter.  I  hope  also  that  you  have  made  the  little 
dress  which  I  left  you  bothered  with  ;  and  also  that  you  have  received  the 
articles  sent  for  by  Mr.  Powell. 

I  have  nothing  more  to  write  you  and  no  time  to  write  if  I  had.  All 
of  my  briefs  have  yet  to  be  made  out,  and  I  hope  to  be  able  to  try  some  more 
of  my  cases  to-morrow.  I  shall  anxiously  expect  your  letter  on  Friday 
evening,  and  you  must  write  me  again  by  the  mails  which  leave  on  Satur- 
day morning  and  Monday  morning.  If  I  do  not'get  off  Saturday  morn- 
ing, I  shall  not  be  able  to  return  till  next  Friday  week.  So  you  must 
write  me  by  every  mail  and  tell  me  all  the  particulars  of  yowx  house- 
keeping, etc. 

I  have  not  time  to  add  more.  Farewell,  my  dear  wife,  and  believe  me 
to  be  your  loving  and  affectionate  husband. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


74   •  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  S.  C,  November  26th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Love . — Having  an  opportunity  of  writing  by  Dr.  Irvine,  I 
will  not  omit  doing  so,  as  it  will  enable  you  to  receive  a  letter  from  me 
one  day  sooner  than  you  otherwise  would  by  mail. 

We  had  a  pleasant  trip  down  and  good  weather,  but  very  cold 
weather  since  our  arrival  here.  I  have  stopped  at  Thomas'  Hotel,  and 
Colonel  Brockman,  Powell  and  Stone  are  with  me.  We  could  not  get  in 
at  Hamner's.  This  house  is  a  pretty  good  one  and  I  am  quite  comfort- 
able. 

The  Legislature  met  to-day  at  twelve  o'clock,  and  I  had  the  honor  of 
being  called  to  the  chair,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Colcock,  and  organized  the 
House  by  swearing  the  members  and  presiding  till  the  Speaker  was 
elected.  It  took  about  two  hours,  and  I  assure  you  that  I  presided  with 
great  dignity  and  performed  well  all  the  business  of  the  House.  Being 
called  to  the  chair  I  considered  quite  an  honor,  as  it  is  seldom  bestowed 
on  a  man  who  has  been  only  two  years  a  member  and  a  young  man  into 
the  bargain.  I  thought  of  you  whilst  I  was  seated  in  the  elevated  seat  of 
the  Speaker,  presiding  over  the  House  of  Representatives  of  South  Caro- 
lina, with  the  learning  and  talent  of  the  State  around  me.  I  thought  you 
would  have  liked  to  have  seen  your  husband  thus  honored,  and  he  would 
have  been  proud  to  have  had  your  presence  in  the  gallery.  Mr.  Wardlaw 
was  elected  unanimously  Speaker,  and  I  conducted  him  to  the  chair  and 
resigned  it  to  him.  In  the  first  place,  however,  I  appointed  Messrs. 
Phillips,  Burt  and  Carroll  to  inform  him  of  his  election  and  bring  him 
into  the  House.  On  taking  his  seat,  he  addressed  the  House  in  a  very 
handsome  speech. 

I  have  seen  to-day  a  great  many  of  our  friends  and  acquaintances. 
You  told  me  I  must  write  about  them.  I  will  begin  with  Judge  Butler  ; 
he  inquired  very  particularly  after  you,  and  whether  Miss  Anne  was  with 
us  or  had  returned  to  Charleston.  He  inquired  after  his  little  daughter, 
and  asked  if  I  had  seen  her  lately.  I  told  him  that  you  had,  etc.  Judge 
Johnson  inquired  after  you,  and  said  he  had  understood  that  you  had  been 
unwell,  and  so  did  Chancellor  Dunkin.  Mr.  Albert  Rhett  inquired  how 
you  were,  and  said  that  he  had  understood  that  your  sickness  had  pre- 
vented my  attending  the  extra  Session  last  May.^  Mr.  Rhett  seemed 
surprised  that  I  had  consented  to  be  a  member  again,  and  said  he  thought 
I  was  so  devoted  to  my  profession  that  I  would  not  have  sensed.  Colonel 
Fair  has  just  been  to  Charleston,  and  informed  me  of  the  death  of  old 
Mrs.  Alston,  mother-in-law  of  General  Hayne.  He  inquired  kindly 
about  you,  so  did  Mr.  Burt  and  Colonel  Dawkins.  Mr.  Burt  and  myself 
have  the  same  desk  and  sit  together  in  the  Legislature.     Colonel  Martin 


To  His  Wife.  75 

has  his  wife  with  him  and  asked  after  you,  etc.     Colonel  Dawkins  also 
has  his  lady  with  him,     I  have  not  seen  Taylor. 

The  Court  of  Appeals  did  nothing  to-day  ;  I  was  in  Court  about  an 
hour.  To-morrow  the  case  of  Calhoun  will  be  tried,  and  your  briefs  will 
be  given  the  Judges.     I  will  dispose  of  them  as  you  requested  me. 

I  am  writing  about  sundown,  and  have  just  come  from  the  Legisla- 
ture and  have  to  return  there  to  attend  a  committee,  on  which  I  was 
appointed  this  evening.  You  must '  therefore  excuse  this  scrawl,  and  I 
will  conclude  by  saying  that  you  are  constantly  in  my  thoughts.  It 
would  be  very  gratifying  to  be  seated  with  you  before  our  cheerful  fire 
about  twenty  minutes.  What  are  you  now  doing  ?  I  suppose  you  are 
giving  some  order  about  supper.  Perhaps  you  may  be  at  Mrs.  Cunning- 
ham's before  this  letter  reaches  you. 

I  long  to  hear  from  you  and  how  you  are  doing,  the  news  of  the  tet,^-*^ 
how  are  the  serv^ants  doing,  the  horse,  the  cow  and  pigs  ?  etc. ;  the  wed- 
ding? etc.,  etc. 

My  dear  wife,  kiss  my  miniature  and  believe  it  your  husband.  I 
have  dreamed  of  you  once  or  twice  in  my  sleep. 

I  have  not  yet  had  time  to  purchase  any  presents  for  you  except  one 
or  two  books,  which  I  will  read  you  on  my  return ,'VATocqueville's  Demo- 
cracy in  America,"  etc. 

It  is  now  so  dark  that  I  cannot  vSee,  and  I  have  no  candle  in  my  room. 
God  bless  you,  my  dear  wife.  • 

Your  loving  husband,  • 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Friday  evening. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  .-—I  am  very  much  distressed  that  I  have  not  heard 
from  you,  and  had  it  not  been  for  General  Thompson's  arrival  I  should 
have  been  more  so.  He  told  me,  however,  that  Mrs.  Thompson  saw  you 
on  Saturday  and  that  you  were  well.  I  also  understand  that  no  packages 
were  received  from  Greenville  last  mail. 

I  have  purchased  a  great  many  most  beautiful  presents  for  you  in  the 
way  of  books.  You  told  me  that  you  had  rather  have  pretty  books  and 
pictures  than  anything  else  to  adorn  our  centre  table.  I  have  purchased 
the  "  English  Annual  for  1839,"  "  The  Token  for  1838,"  "The  Magnolia 
Illustrations  of  Syria  and  Holy  Land,"  large  quarto  with  most  splendid 
engravings.     They  are  all  magnificently  bound  and  have  the  most  beauti- 


^6  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

ful  plates.     I  will  send  them  to  you  by  General  Thompson's  carriage, 
which  returns  to-morrow,  with  some  other  books  which  I  have  purchased; 

I  have  just  seen  your  Uncle  Robert,  he  says  all  are  well  in  Charleston. 
He  brought  his  two  sons  to  college  and  they  have  entered.  I  have  seen 
Mr.  William  Ed.  Hayne  also.  I  saw  Governor  Butler  yesterday.  They 
all  inquired  about  you.  I  was  invited  to  Colonel  McCords  yesterday  to  a 
dinner  party,  but  did  not  go.  I  am  invited  to-morrow  to  Governor 
Butler's,  and  he  is  to  send  his  carriage  for  me  and  Burt. 

The  Legislature  is  not  doing  much  yet,  nor  the  Court  of  Appeals.  I 
write  you  in  great  haste,  but  I  have  already  written  a  much  longer  letter 
than  Mr.  Burt  writes  to  his  wife,  which  he  does  three  times  a  week  at  our 
desk  in  my  presence,  and  I  might  read  one-half  of  them  if  I  were  dis- 
posed to  look. 

You  must  write  me  every  mail  and  I  will  do  the  same.  I  gave  your 
briefs  to  the  Judges,  and  they  spoke  in  praise  of  my  great  improvement  in 
writing,  all  of  which  I  will  tell  you  when  we  meet. 

Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


C01.UMBIA,  S.  C,  December  2d,  1838. 

My  Dear  Love : — I  have  just  returned  from  a  dinner  party  at  Gover- 
nor Bu|;ler's,  and  will  wrxce  you  a  few  lines  by  Mr.  Harrison,  who  returns 
to  Greenville  in  General  Thompson's  carriage  to-morrow  morning.  I  also 
send  you  by  Mr.  Harrison  a  basket  of  books  and  papers,  and  also  a  bundle 
containing  a  backgammon  board  and  chessmen.  In  the  basket  of  books 
you  will  find  some  beautiful  annuals,  "The  Magnolia,"  "The  Token," 
"  The  Book  of  Beauty,"  "  Illustrations  of  Syria  and  Holy  Land."  This 
last  work  is  a  most  beautiful  one,  and  you  will  read  it  and  examine  it  with 
great  interest.  I  also  send  you  as  a  present  a  splendid  family  Bible, 
elegantly  bound.  You  will  akso  find  in  the  collection  "  Inklings," 
"Scott's  Napoleon,"  "London  Magazine,"  "Portrait  Gallery,"  third 
volume  in  numbers;  "Watt's  on  the  Mind,"  "Outward  Bound," 
"  Irving' s  Works,"  three  bundles  of  paper  and  one  large  blank  book  ;  also 
"  Statutes-at-Large  "  and  "  Political  Ethics  ;"  also  "  The  Young  Wife." 
I  hope  you  will  receive  these  books  as  valuable  presents  from  your  hus- 
band, as  well  as  the  casters  and  candle-sticks  sent  you  by  Mr.  Wells. 

I  have  not  purchased  a  silver  cup  yet,  as  they  are  all  pretty  high,  and 
I  have  made  so  many  other  purchases  I  may  not  do  so  at  all.  Your  letters 
came  in  good  time  to-day,  I  was  becoming  very  uneasy  and  read  them 


To  His  Wifk.  77 

with  great  pleasure.  The  disappointment  of  Colonel  Towns  and  his 
intended  bride  must  have  been  great  and  shocking.  I  hope,  however,  he 
is  now  well  enough  to  be  married.  If  you  think  best,  you  can  direct  Mr. 
Hoke  to  purchase  two  or  three  more  hogs  and  have  them  killed  ;  that  is, 
if  you  have  good  luck  in  salting  away  the  one  already  killed.  The  money 
I  will  advance  to  you  on  my  return. 

I  am  very  glad  you  have  written  a  long  letter  to  my  mother,  as  it  will 
afford  the  old  lady  great  pleasure  and  make  her  love  you  the  more.  I 
know  my  parents  to  possess  hearts  filled  with  every  kindness  and  affection 
honorable  to  our  nature. 

I  spent  a  very  pleasant  evening  at  Governor  Butler's.  Colonel  Pres- 
ton, Judge  Butler,  General  Thompson,  Colonel  McCord,  Colonel  Player, 
Mr.  Burt,  Mr.  Cheves  and  Colonel  Hammond  and  myself  were  the  com- 
pany. Judge  Butler  expressed  great  anxiety  about  his  little  daughter's 
health  on  hearing  Greenville  was  sickly.  I  assured  him  there  was  no 
danger. 

I  have  made  only  one  speech  in  the  lyCgislature,  and  that  one  quite 
short.  It  was  in  opposition  to  Dr.  Findly's  taking  his  seat  in  the  Legis- 
lature because  he  held  a  disqualifying  office  under  the  State.  My  oppo- 
sition prevailed. 

My  dear  wife,  write  me  every  mail  if  it  be  but  one  line  I  am  begin- 
ning to  be  very  anxious  to  see  you  and  am  constantly  thinking  of  you. 
Good  night.  Your  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Wednesday  5th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Wife: — I  have  just  been  to  the  post  office  and  learned  that 
the  Greenville  mail  did  not  come  in  last  night.  The  mails  were  not 
exchanged  at  Newbery,  and  the  same  one  which  went  up  came  back. 
You  do  not  know  how  I  am  distressed.  I  would  give  almost  any  con- 
sideration to  receive  one  line  from  you  informing  me  that  you  were  well 
and  not  unhappy  or  lonesome  ;  how  anxious  I  am  to  hear  from  you  and 
know  how  you  are  doing.  I  have  written  to  you  three  times  a  week  since 
I  have  been  here,  and  hope  you  received  all  my  letters.  I  hope  also  that 
you  have  received  my  valuable  presents  by  Mr.  Wells  and  Mr.  Harrison. 
I  intend  to  purchase  something  else  for  you  to  present  myself,  in  proper 
person. 

Your  Uncle  Robert  is  still  here,  and  I  saw  his  two  sons  yesterday. 
They  are  in  college,  as  I  wrote  you  last  week.     I  saw  Colonel  Taylor  the 


78  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

other  day  for  the  first  time  since  my  arrival  here.  He  spoke  of  his  "  little 
boy' '  with  great  pride,  and  said  he  was  not  very  well.  I  have  not  seen  his 
wife  nor  Mrs.  Martin.  In  fact,  I  have  no  time  to  see  any  one  or  do  any- 
thing. To-day  I  shall  be  engaged  in  Court.  The  case  of  Cleveland's  Will 
was  taken  up  yesterday,  but  not  finished. 

You  do  not  know  how  anxious  I  am  to  return  to  Greenville.  I  feel 
as  if  I  never  could  wish  to  leave  there  again  without  you  were  with  me. 
I  am  really  homesick.  I  am  tired  to  death  with  legislation.  There  is 
nothing  doing  of  any  interest  in  the  lyCgislature.  No  speeches  have  been 
made  by  any  one.  I  did  not  go  to  the  commencement  in  college.  The 
day  was  rainy  and  cold.  I  understand,  however,  the  ladies  turned  out  in 
great  numbers.  Mn  Wardlaw  is  here  and  was  at  the  commencement,  and 
I  suppose  at  the  ball.  Yesterday  there  was  a  grand  review  of  the  militia. 
I  saw  Colonels  Fair  and  Taylor  in  full  uniform  and  looking  very  well. 

I  must  now  bid  you  adieu,  my  dear  wife.  Do  write  to  me  every  mail, 
and  write  me  every  little  thing  that  is  going  on, 

I  am  your  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


C01.UMBIA,  S.  C,  December  7th,  1838. 

My  Dear  Love : — I  have  neglected  my  business  to-night  for  the  pur- 
pose of  writing  you  a  long  letter,  or  at  least  for  the  purpose  of  writing  with 
more  leisure  than  I  have  done  heretofore.  The  rest  of  the  members  have 
all  gone  down  to  the  State  House  to  attend  their  different  committees. 
The  weather  is  cold,  wet  and  disagreeable,  and  I  am  seated  before  a  com- 
fortable fire  writing  a  letter  to  my  dear  Liz.  Who,  would  you  say,  could 
be  more  agreeably  employed  ?  But,  my  dear  wife,  I  do  not  feel  alto- 
gether pleasant  and  comfortable.  I  have  not  heard  from  you  to-night.  I 
hope,  however,  th^t  there  are  letters  in  the  mail  for  me,  which  I  will  get 
on  Saturday  morning  at  the  post  office.  You  must  know  that  letters 
reach  here  one  night  and  are  not  delivered  till  next  morning.  I  am  truly 
anxious  to  hear  from  you,  how  you  are  and  what  you  are  doing? 
— whether  everything  is  going  on  well  with  your  household. 

My  uneasiness  was  increased  to-day  by  a  letter  from  Mrs.  Burt  to  Mr. 
Burt,  informing  him  that  Greenville  was  very  sickly,  and  that  Colonel 
Towns  was  extremely  ill  and  had  sent  for  his  brother,  Dr.  Towns.  I 
know  these  things  are  always  exaggerated,  but  Judge  Butler  and  Judge 
Gantt  are  also  quite  uneasy  about  the  sickness,  and  neither  of  them  has 
heard  from  Greenville  since  General  Thompson  came  down.  It  will  be 
truly  a  melancholy  affair  if  Colonel  Towns  should  die,  and  Miss  Sloan  be 


To  His  Wife.  79 

left,  as  it  were,  a  bridal  widow  ;  but  the  idea  is  too  horrible  to  think  of. 
I  hope  he  is  again  convalescent,  and  will  be  able  to  claim  his  bride  by  the 
time  I  return  home,  so  that  I  may  accompany  you  at  last  to  his  wedding. 

The  Legislature  has  agreed  to  adjourn  oir  Wednesday,  19th  inst., 
so  I  shall  be  at  home  on  Friday  night,  21st  inst.  How  I  long  for  the  time 
to  arrive.  How  slow  it  passes  off  in  dull  legislation.  I  have  made 
several  speeches  lately  ;  spoke  twice  or  three  times  to-day  and  was 
listened  to  with  great  attention.  When  I  made  one  of  my  speeches  the 
gallery  was  filled  with  ladies  who  had  come  in  to  hear  and  see.  I  wish 
you  had  been  amongst  them.  I  spoke  in  reply  to  Mr.  McGrath.  He  is 
quite  a  clever  speaker  and  a  sensible  man.  This  was  his  first  speech,  but 
he  did  not  succeed  in  his  motion. 

I  saw  your  Uncle  Robert  this  morning.  He  returns  to  Charleston 
this  evening  and  will  return  again  to  Columbia  next  Wednesday.  He 
looks  quite  well  and  seemed  in  good  spirits.  His  two  sons  are  in  college, 
but  I  have  not  seen  them  since  I  wrote  you  last,  when  I  was  introduced 
to  them  by  your  uncle. 

I  have  been  arguing  my  cases  in  the  Court  of  Appeals.  I  have 
finally  gained  the  case  of  Colonel  Barton,  and  it  is  now  at  an  end.  I  lost 
the  case  of  Mr.  Choice's  about  Cleveland's  Will.  I  have  also  lost  the  case 
of  Perry  Duncan  against  Cobb  &  Seaborn.  The  other  cases  of  mine  are 
to  be  argued  to-morrow  morning. 

The  weather  has  been  so  bad  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  shop  any 
this  week.  We  had  constant  rain  since  last  Sunday.  You  must  write 
what  sort  of  present  you  had  rather  have.  I  feel  now  like  I  would  buy 
for  you  anything  you  would  request  me  to  get.  Shall  it  be  a  silver  cup  ? 
or  a  gold  thimble  ?  or  a  little  work-box  ?  or  a  key  basket  ?  or  a  little 
breast-pin  ?  or  what  else  ? 

Have  you  heard  from  Mrs.  Cunningham  since  I  left  home  ?  If  you 
have  not  yet  gone,  I  suppose  you  will  hardly  go  ;  but  if  she  comes  up  and 
insists  on  your  going,  I  will  meet  you  there  on  Friday,  21st  inst.,  and  we 
will  come  home  in  the  Aiken  stage  on  Monday  following.  I  cannot  stay 
longer,  I  must  be  at  home.  My  business  must  not  be  neglected  for  any 
other  consideration. 

I  have  nothing  more  to  write  you.  I  have  already  written  you  about 
every  one  I  have  seen.  The  weather  has  been  so  wet  that  I  have  not  seen 
any  one  lately.  Mr.  Savage  Hey  wood  and  his  lady  (I  think)  are  at  this 
house,  but  I  have  no  acquaintance  with  him.  I  believe,  too,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Legislature.  Mr.  Bull  is  also  a  member  again.  I  spoke  to 
him  the  other  day  and  he  informed  me  that  your  mother  had  requested 


I 


8o  lyKTTERS  OF  BENJAMIN  F.    PERRY 

him  to  say  to  me  that  they  were  all  well.     You  write  me,  however,  that 
Anne  is  not  well. 

I  have  bought  no  more  books,  and  do  not  intend  to  buy  any  more.  I 
hope  you  will  not  read  ".The  Young  Wife  "  till  I  return  home  and  then 
read  it  to  me.  We  can  read  together  and  make  comments  as  we  go  on.  I 
admire  the  rules  and  advice  there  given  very  much. 

Powell  and  Brockman  are  with  me,  and  we  all  do  very  well  together. 
Brockman  and  myself  have  frequent  conversations.  He  is  a  very  worthy 
man  and  I  like  him  very  much.     He  wishes  to  move  to  Greenville  village,  i 

But  good-night,  my  dear  wife,  I  must  conclude.  ^ 

Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  loth,  1838. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  received  two  letters  from  you  yesterday  morning, 
one  of  which  I  ought  to  have  received  the  mail  before.  I  assure  you,  my 
dear  wife,  that  they  gave  me  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction,  for  I  was 
becoming  very  uneasy.  I  am  now  better  satisfied,  but  still  impatient  to 
get  home.     Time  drags  heavily  with  me. 

I  was  pleased  to  know  that  you  were  satisfied  with  the  presents  of 
books  and  casters  sent  you.  I  will  not  purchase  any  more  books  of  any 
description.  The  short  candle-sticks  I  will  endeavor  to  get,  and  think, 
with  you,  that  we  ought  to  have  a  pair  of  them.  I  have  been  looking  at  a 
set  of  silver  goblets  or  tumblers,  and  would  like  very  much  to  have  them, 
but  do  not  think  it  prudent  to  purchase  at  this  time.  I  will  not,  however, 
purchase  any  more  glass  tumblers,  they  are  soon  broken,  and  if  we  were 
to  purchase  a  set  of  silver  ones,  they  would  last  an  age.  I  have  no  doubt 
they  are  much  cheaper  in  the  end,  and  they  are  all  the  fashion,  too.  I 
like  silver  because  it  retains  its  value  and  is  not  destructible  like  glass. 

I  am  glad  that  you  are  not  lonesome,  and  that  little  Sally  Sloane  has 
been  good  enough  to  sleep  with  you  constantly.  You  must  feel  lonesome 
in  the  daytime,  having  no  one  to  talk  to  or  see  and  be  with  you. 

I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  that  my  horse  is  going  blind.  I  hope  yon 
are  mistaken,  and  that  Colonel  Hoke  is  also.  Mr.  Blassingam  wrote  mc 
the  other  day  that  he  was  afraid  it  was  so.  It  will  be  a  great  pity  to  lose 
so  pretty  a  horse. 

I  hope  that  Colonel  Dunton  has  returned  before  this  time  and  brought 
you  letters  and  packages  from  your  mother.  You  are  very  fond  of  open- 
ing packages  I  know,  and  especially  when  they  contain  pretty  things.     I 


To  His  Wife.  8i 

have  not  sfeen  any  one  from  Charleston  lately.     Your  Uncle  Robert  has 
returned,  and  I  have  not  seen  Alston  or  Arthur  since  I  wrote  you  before. 

We  are  not  doing  much  in  the  lyCgislature.  There  will  be  a  consider- 
able discussion  next  Tuesday  on  the  sub-Treasury,  and  I  may  or  may  not 
make  a  speech.  I  have  got  through  with  all  my  business  in  Court 
except  one  case,  which  is  postponed  until  next  Spring.  The  result  of 
them  I  do  not  yet  know. 

You  are  mistaken  in  supposing  that  Mr.  Colcock  called  me  to  the 
chair  on  account  of  your  relation  to  him.  Colonel  Elmore  was  the  first 
to  suggest  my  taking  the  chair,  and  on  his  suggestion  Mr.  Colcock  made 
the  motion.  I  saw  Judge  Colcock  the  other  day,  he  looks  shockingly. 
Mrs.  Colcock  is  with  him  he  told  me,  but  I  have  not  had  time  to  see  her. 
Miss  Hazell  is  with  Mrs.  Heywood,  and  at  this  house,  but  I  have  not 
spoken  to  either  of  them,  as  I  have  not  any  acquaintance  with  them. 

I  understand  that  Miss  Jeter  and  Miss  Noble  are  here.  The  ladies 
are  visiting  the  gallery  of  the  State  House  every  day,  and  I  suppose  will 
make  a  great  display  next  week.  The  Governor  is  to  be  inaugurated  on 
Monday,  and  then  the  discussion  takes  place  on  the  subject  of  the  sub- 
Treasury. 

I  must  now  conclude  as  I  have  several  letters  to  write  to-day,  and 
other  business  to  transact,  although  it  is  Sunday.  I^ast  night  I  was 
writing  till  twelve  o'clock,  and  did  not  get  to  sleep  till  after  two  in  the 
morning.     I  drew  up  fifteen  reports  after  nine  o'clock  ;  reports  on  claims. 

You  must  write  me  if  you  wish  anything  in  particular  as  a  present 
on  my  return  home.        /  Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


CoivUMBiA,  S.  C. ,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Your  letter  by  Sunday's  mail  gave  me  great  pleasure. 
I  hope  there  is  now  one  in  the  office  for  me.  I  cannot  get  it  till  morning, 
however,  as  the  post-office  is  not  opened  at  night.  Your  letter  gave  me 
great  satisfaction,  to  know  that  you  were  well  and  not  lonesome.  You 
wrote  Miss  Chick  was  spending  the  day  with  you,  and  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Buist  had  called  to  .see  you. 

We  had  quite  a  display  in  the  Legislature  to-day.  At  twelve  o'clock 
the  sub-Treasury  came  up  for  discussion.  Mr.  Wardlaw  left  the  chair, 
and  the  House  resolved  itself  into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole.  The  ladies 
and  visitors  hearing  that  there  was  likely  to  be  some  discussion,  came  in 
and  filled  the  galleries.     There  was  quite  an  interesting  appearance  of 


82  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

beauty  and  fashion.  Mr.  Colcock  opened  the  debate  with  a  short  speech, 
and  I  replied  in  a  short  one  also.  The  House  and  the  gallery  seemed  to 
listen  more  earnestly  to  me  than  they  did  to  Mr.  Colcock,  I  suppose 
because  I  was  in  the  minority.  I  made  some  allusions  to  Colonel  Mem- 
minger  and  old  party  distinctions.  He  replied  to  me  at  some  length. 
Colonel  Irby  spoke  next  in  reply  to  him,  then  Mr.  Wardlaw  in  reply  to 
Irby.  Wallace  Thompson  spoke  next  in  reply  to  Wardlaw.  Mr.  Bellin- 
ger spoke  in  reply  to  Thompson.  I  replied  again  to  Bellinger,  and  also 
to  Memminger  and  Wardlaw.  Phillips  spoke  next ;  Irby,  Wardlaw, 
Thompson  and  Memminger  all  spoke  again.  By  this  time  it  was  about 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  but  the  ladies  were  still  present,  at  least  a 
good  many  of  them. 

I  have  a  good  story  to  tell  you,  and  one  which  I  am  afraid  may  make 
you  a  little  jealous.  Colonel  Fair  met  me  to-day  as  I  was  going  into  the 
State  House,  and  said  he  heard  a  fine  compliment  paid  me  yesterday  by  a 
lady.  He  was  sitting  in  the  gallery  whilst  the  Governor  was  being  inau- 
gurated, and  some  young  ladies  present  were  making  their  remarks  about 
the  different  members.  At  length  the  question  was  put  to  one  to  point 
out  the  handsomest  man  she  saw  amongst  the  whole  house.  After  look- 
ing some  time,  she  pointed  to  a  gentleman  sitting  at  his  desk  with  a  bill 
in  his  hand,  wearing  spectacles  and  dressed  in  black,  with  a  grave  look 
and  dignified  air  and  manner.  Who  do  you  think  the  gentleman  was  thus 
selected  from  the  whole  House  ?  Your  husband  !  I  inquired  who  this 
lady  was  and  found  that  she  was  on  her  first  visit  to  Columbia,  and  of 
exquisite  taste,  young,  neat  and  of  high  rank.  I  will  tell  you  her  name 
when  we  meet.  '^'^ 

My  dear  wife,  I  am  tired  to  death  of  this  place,  and  wish  most 
anxiously  to  return  home  again.  If  I  had  you  with  me  I  should  be  better 
satisfied.  I  have,  however,  not  much  time  to  spare.  I  am  at  work  like 
a  slave,  have  too  much  to  do,  and  am  not  disposed  to  continue  in  the 
Legislature,  although  I  have  acquired  some  reputation  in  the  Legislature, 
or  at  least  I  flatter  myself  so. 

I  have  not  made  any  further  purchases  of  presents  for  you.  I  shall 
wait  to  hear  from  vou.  I  hope  you  have  heard  from  your  mamma,  and 
that  Colonel  Duntcmnas  returned. 

Wednesday  morning. 

I  went  to  the  office  this  morning  and  waited  till  it  was  opened,  and 
had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  letter  from  you  dated  on  Saturday  last.  It 
gave  me  great  satisfaction.  You  do  not  know  how  anxious  I  am  about 
you.     If  I  do  not  hear  from  you,  I  imagine  that  you  are  sick  or  unwell. 


To  His  Wife.  83 

I  am  glad  that  you  are  spending  your  time  so  agreeably,  and  that  you 
are  pleased  with  the  presents  sent  you.  I  cannot  give  you  any  further 
information  as  to  my  law  cases.  I  am  going  into  Court  this  morning  to 
hear  the  decisions  of  the  Judges  on  them. 

I  am  sorry  that  Colonel  Dunham  has  still  not  arrived,  and  that  you 
have  heard  nothing  from  your  mother.  I  suppose  you  have  before  this 
time.  I  think  it  very  likely  that  Mrs.  Cunningham  will  not  come  at  all. 
I  shall  be  at  home  without  doubt  on  Friday  night  the  19th,  a  week  from 
the  time  you  will  receive  this  letter. 

There  was  an  unpleasant  difficulty  yesterday  between  Albert  Rhett 
and  Judge  Huger  about  some  road  which  runs  through  Judge  Huger's 
land.  Judge  Huger  challenged  him,  and  they  were  both  bound  over  to 
keep  the  peace.  I  do  not  know  what  will  be  the  consequence,  whether 
they  will  yet  fight  or  not. 

Your  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Coiy.  Johnson'vS,  Friday  morning. 

Dear  Liz : — I  hope  you  are  much  better  and  that  you  have  not  expe- 
rienced any  pain  since  I  left  home.  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  on  Sunday 
quite  well. 

I  have  purchased  for  you  a  milk  white  pony,  with  a  long  tail  and  mane, 
the  tail  touches  the  ground.  He  is  as  docile  as  a  dog  and  paces  delight- 
fully. You  never  saw  so  beautiful  a  creature  in  your  life.  I  gave  for  him 
only  $50.00.     He  looks  like  an  Arabian  steed. 

I  am  going  to  get  pretty  near  all  the  votes  in  this  part  of  the  district. 
On  Wednesday  I  addressed  the  company  in  the  presence  of  a  number  of 
ladies,  and  amongst  them  Mrs.  and  Miss  Toors  and  Miss  Perry,  etc. 

I  shall  be  at  home  on  Sunday,  and  I  am  exceedingly  anxious  to  see 
you,  and  am  a  good  deal  displeased  when  I  think  of  the  situation  in 
which  I  left  you.     In  great  haste.     God  bless  you  and  family. 

Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


84  I^ETTKRS  OF  BENJAMIN  F.    PKRRY 

Pickens  C.  H.,  Tuesday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz . — I  have  hardly  time  to  write  you  that  I  am  very 
much  afraid  I  shall  not  be  able  to  return  home  from  this  place  before  I  go 
to  Anderson  Court.  Judge  Evans  did  not  get  here  till  last  night.  There 
was,  of  course,  nothing  done  yesterdaj^  and  we  have  a  great  deal  of  busi- 
ness in  Court.  It  is  possible  I  may  get  off  Saturday  morning  ;  if  so,  I 
will  return  to  Greenville  and  see  my  dear  wife  ;  if  not,  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  see  you  till  the  last  of  next  week.  You  may  very  readily  imagine  my 
distress  at  being  detained  here,  but  I  know  you  will  be  disposed  to  excuse 
me  when  you  think  it  is  business  which  keeps  me  from  you. 

I  have  not  heard  anything  about  my  election  in  Greenville.  General 
Thompson  is  running  far  ahead  in  this  district.  If  you  will  write  me  and 
send  the  letter  to  Judge  Karle's  to-night.  Judge  Evans'  coachman  will 
bring  it  in  the  morning  to  this  place.  I  hope  you  will  do  so,  if  possible. 
Write  me  who  are  elected,  and  how  many  votes  General  Thompson  gets. 

My  dear  wife,  in  great  haste.     Your  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Pickens  C.  H.,  Thursday  night. 

Afy  Dear  Liz  .-—Your  letter  was  handed  me  this  evening,  and  I 
assure  you  it  gave  me  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  Not  on  account  of 
the  election  (for  that  I  had  already  heard),  but  to  know  that  you  were 
well  and  enjoying  yourself  in  my  absence  ;  that  nothing  had  happened  to 
worry  or  displease  you,  and  that  all  of  our  little  household  was  going  on 
well.  I  am  glad  that  your  peaches  have  been  brought  and  will  very 
cheerfully  pay  for  all  the  sugar  you  may  make  use  of  in  preserving  them. 
I  shall  expect  to  see  some  nice  preserves  on  my  return.  I  hope  you  will 
not  be  vexed  and  disappointed  in  making  them,  as  you  were  in  your  last 
effort  in  that  way. 

Your  cakes  and  gingerbread  were  much  praised  by  Major  Henry  and 
others  on  Sunday  last.  We  stopped  at  the  same  spring  where  you  and 
Judge  Johnson  and  myself  once  dined  on  going  from  Pickens.  Colonel 
Towns,  Mr.  Choice  and  Mr.  Roberts  were  of  our  company,  and  partook 
of  our  repast  by  adding  their  own  stock  to  ours.  None  of  them,  however,- 
had  any  cake  or  gingerbread  but  myself.  They  pronounced  it  the  nicest 
gingerbread  they  had  ever  eaten.  We  had  quite  a  pleasant  ride  and  a 
merry  time. 

The  white  pony  travelled  remarkably  well,  and  is  much  admired  ; 
but  the  poor  fellow  has  been  unfortunate  since  he  was  stabled  here.   Some 


To  His  Wife.  85 

horse  in  the  adjoining  stall  has  very  cruelly  bit  him  on  his  back  and 
shoulders,  taking  off  the  hair  in  two  or  three  places.  I  had  him  moved 
into  a  different  stall  and  he  is  now  faring  better.  I  was  glad  to  hear  from 
our  "little  adopted  Fidelia."  I  am  glad  Sheriff  continues  to  do  well. 
The  house  as  you  described  it  would  have  been  an  interesting  sight  to 
your  husband. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  shall  be  able  to  see  you  on  Saturday  night 
or  not.  We  tried  yesterday  the  case  of  Hester  and  Hagood,  and  I  gained 
a  great  triumph  over  General  Thompson  and  General  Whitner.  Every 
one  says  I  made  the  best  speech  they  ever  heard  from  me.  I  gained  the 
case.  It  has  been  in  Court  four  years,  and  the  costs  have  amounted  to 
five  or  six  hundred  dollars.  You  never  saw  any  one  more  rejoiced  than 
my  client  HcvSter.  After  the  jury  returned  with  a  verdict,  he  came  to  my 
room  w4th  a  cup  of  sugar  and  a  tumbler  of  brandy  and  insisted  on  treating 
me  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  night. 

To-day  I  defended  a  poor  fellow  who  was  tried  for  his  life  on  a  charge 
of  forger}^  and  succeeded  in  getting  him  acquitted.  To-morrow  we  try 
the  case  of  Mr.  Choice  about  Cleveland's  Will.  It  will  probably  take  two 
days  ;  but  should  we  get  through  in  one  day,  you  may  expect  to  see  me 
at  home  Saturday  evening,  otherwise  not  till  after  Anderson  Court. 

I  am^much  gratified  with  the  result  of  the  election,  and  you  should 
feel  gratified  to  the  people  of  Greenville  for  honoring  your  husband  so 
handsomely,  as  they  have,  in  placing  him  far  ahead  of  all  the  other  candi- 
dates. I  feel  proud  in  still  having  their  confidence  and  good  opinion. 
General  Thompson  has  beaten  General  Whitner  one  thousand  or  eleven 
hundred  votes.  Tell  your  mother  that  I  accept  her  congratulations  with 
much  pleasure.  -*■  yia^«^ 

Friday  morning. 

I  am  now  of  opinion  that  it  will  be  out  of  my  power  to  return  to 
Greenville  before  Anderson  Court.  You  must  keep  house  as  well  as  you 
can  without  your  husband.  You  can  imagine  yourself  a  little  widow  and 
sole  mistress  of  the  mansion.  You  have  your  mother  and  sisters  with 
you,  and  I  suppose  you  will  hardly  miss  me.  But  write  to  me  on  Sunday 
to  Anderson  by  mail.  Tell  your  mother  and  sisters  not  to  run  off  before 
I  return,  should  it  be  a  month.  In  great  haste  ;  so  much  .so  that  I  hardly 
know  what  I  am  writing.  Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


86  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  night,  8  o'clock. 

My  Dear  Liz: — Like  a  good  husband,  I  will  employ  the  first  leisure 
moment  which  I  have  in  writing  to  you.  I  have  just  seen  Judge  Gantt, 
and  he  says  his  sen^ant  Bob  will  start  back  to  Greenville  in  the  morning. 
If  so,  I  will  endeavor  to  send  by  him  your  shoes,  etc. ;  but  I  am  afraid 
there  is  not  much  calculation  on  any  determination  of  Judge  Gantt. 

I  arrived  here  this  evening  about  four  o'clock,  hungry  and  tired  ; 
was  disappointed  in  getting  a  room  at  Edgar's,  and  had  to  go  all  over 
town  before  I  could  get  accommodations.  I  succeeded  in  getting  a  single 
room  at  Clark's  old  hotel,  where  all  the  lower  county  members  stay  ;  but 
my  accommodations  are  nothing  to  boast  of.  Mr.  Petigru,  who  came  a 
few  minutes  after  I  did,  said  he  thought  at  one  time  that  he  should  have 
to  sleep  in  the  streets  or  be  dependent  on  the  charity  of  the  public.  He 
has  got  into  the  barkeeper's  room.  Columbia  is  more  crowded  than  I 
ever  saw  it. 

I  came  down  in  company  with  Judge  Earle  and  Mr.  Reed  from  Green- 
ville, and  at  Laurens  we  were  joined  by  Colonel  Irby,  Mr.  Young,  Dr. 
Saxon,  Captain  Reed  and  Mr.  Rogers.  We  were  much  crowded  and  had 
an  unpleasant  ride  through  sleet  and  rain.  I  hope  you  have  had  rain  in 
Greenville,  but  not  such  cold  weather  as  we  had  on  the  road. 

I  saw  Colonel  Martin  this  evening.  He  says  that  Mrs.  Martin  is  not 
so  well  as  she  ought  to  be  ;  that  all  the  rest  of  our  friends  in  town  are 
well.  I  have  not  seen  your  Uncle  Arthur,  nor  do  I  know  that  he  is  in 
Columbia.  I  met  Colonel  John  Cunningham  and  his  bride  in  the  passage 
just  at  dark  ;  was  introduced  to  her  ladyship  and  gave  them  both  my  con- 
gratulations, but  it  was  so  dark,  I  could  not  see  her  to  judge  of  her 
features.  She  is  short  and  rather  stout.  John  seemed  to  be  in  fine  spirits 
and  quite  happy.  They  are  boarding  at  this  house.  He  inquired  after 
you  and  said  that  his  father's  family  were  expecting  you,  etc.  I  suppose 
he  will  remain  here  all  the  session.  In  some  future  letter  I  will  give  you 
a  description  of  the  bride. 

Now  let  me  inquire  how  you  and  "Will"  come  on.  How  much 
pleasure  it  would  give  me  to  see  you  with  him  in  your  arms  to-night,  to 
hear  the  little  fellow's  sweet,  innocent  voice,  and  see  his  lovely  smile,  and 
watch  your  earnest  look  at  him.  I  have  scarcely  left  home  and  I  am 
already  so  anxious  to  see  you  and  be  back  again  ^  If  I  could  only  for  one 
moment  be  seated  with  you  around  the  fire  and  hav^little  Will  cry  a  few 
minutes.  Kiss  him  for  me  and  hug  him  close  to  you  for  **  Papa's  "  sake. 
I  love  him  the  more  because  he  bears  in  his  face  the  image  of  yourself. 

If  I  have  time  I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  to-morrow  ;  but  I  have  so 
many  things  to  do  that  I  cannot  call  a  minute  my  own.     If  I  do  not  write 


To  His  Wipe.  87 

to  you  often,  be  assured  it  is  not  because  I  am  not  thinking  of  you.  You 
must  write  me  all  about  yourself,  Will,  the  servants,  cows,  hogs,  dogs, 
house,  lot,  etc.  I  am  afraid  James  will  not  attend  to  the  stable  well. 
Make  him  do  his  business,  etc. 

Monday,  2  o'clock. 
Dear  Liz  : — I  saw  your  Uncle  Arthur  this  morning,  and  he  gave  me 
the  silver  cup  and  spoon  for  Will  from  Aunt  Be^on.  It  is  very  hand- 
some. Colonel  Martin  is  elected  Clerk  of  the  Senate,  after  seven  ballot- 
ings.  I  write  in  a  great  hurry  and  have  nothing  more,  but  refer  you  to 
my  letter  in  the  Mountaineer  for  additional  information. 

I  saw  Mr.  Hayne  and  he  inquired  after  you  and  Will.     Kiss  Will  for 
me.  Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Tuesday  night,  9  o'clock. 

My  Dear  Liz: — I  have  just  returned  with  your  Uncle  Arthur  from 
the  Agricultural  Convention,  where  we  staid  two  or  three  hours  and 
listened  to  rather  dull  speaking.  Since  I  wrote  you  last,  I  have  been  very 
much  engaged,  scarcely  a  minute  to  spare  until  this  evening. 

I  have  made  a  purchase  for  "  Will,"  an  ivory  ring  with  a  whistle  in 
it  for  him  to  bite  when  teething.  I  am  in  treaty  for  a  rattle  for  him,  but 
have  not  purchased  it  yet.  The  jeweller  asks  $6.50  for  it,  the  price  was 
$8.00.  It  is  a  most  beautiful  thing,  handsomely  gilded,  with  an  ivory 
handle.  Your  gaiter  boots  I  will  purchase  to-morrow.  If  I  have  any 
opportunity  I  will  send  them.  I  have  purchased  a  thermometer,  a  large 
one  in  a  tin  case,  for  $2.00.  I  see  some  beautiful  little  wagons  for 
children,  and  if  I  can  send  one  to  Greenville  by  any  conveyance,  I  will 
purchase  it  for  Will,  for  I  have  heard  you  wish  one  very  much. 

I  saw  Mr.  Taylor  this  evening,  and  he  informed  me  that  his  wife  was 
with  Mrs.  Martin.  He  inquired  after  you  and  Will,  and  I  inquired  how 
his  son  grew,  etc. 

I  had  a  most  pleasant  conversation  with  Mr.  Petigru  this  morning. 
He  is  a  man  of  uncommon  originality  and  strength  of  mind,  and  humor 
unbounded.  He  inquired  about  Colonel  Alston's  case,  and  said  he 
intended  to  make  Alston  give  me  a  "  refresher, ' '  that  it  was  high  time  I 
had  another  fee. 

I  was  introduced  this  evening  to  Professor  Lieber,  of  the  South  Caro- 
lina College,  with  whom  you  know  I  have  been  so  long  corresponding  on 
the  subject  of  the  Penitentiary.     He  expressed  great  pleasure  at  seeing 


88  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

me,  and  I  was  much  pleased  with  him.  He  says  I  must  dine  with  him, 
but  as  he  had  no  wife  he  had  to  look  out  for  something  to  eat  first.  We 
talked  a  long  time.  He  said  he  had  been  to  see  me  at  the  Tavern,  but 
I  was  out.  He  is  a  man  of  great  learning  and  pleasing  appearance,  with 
a  foreign  accent. 

Judge  Butler  met  me  as  I  was  going  to  the  post-office  this  evening 
with  letters,  and  asked  if  I  was   writing  to  Madame,   and  said   to  Dr. 
Arnold,  who  was  with  me,  that  he  liked  me  for  my  love  for  you.     I  have 
uj^tA,  not  seen  Judge  Hay«e  yet,  but  he  was  in  the  Senate  this  evening. 

I  hope  to-morrow  evening  to  have  a  letter  from  you,  but  shall  not  get 
it  in  time  to  add  a  postscript  to  this  letter. 

Wednesday  morning. 

I  was  aroused  from  my  sleep  last  night  about  three  o'clock  by  fire. 
It  broke  out  within  150  yards  of  the  hotel  and  illuminated  everything.  I 
got  up,  dressed  and  went  out  to  where  it  was,  and  saw  an  immense  crowd 
looking  on,  and  the  building  sinking  beneath  the  flames.  The  fire  did 
not  spread  and  no  great  loss  occurred. 

I  look  forward  to  the  reception  of  a  letter  from  you  this  evening  with 
much  interest.  It  seems  as  if  I  had  been  from  home  a  month.  How  I 
should,  like  to  see  you  dress  little  Will  this  morning,  and  hear  him  cry 
and  grunt  at  the  application  of  cold  water.  Kiss  the  little  fellow  and  take 
good  care  of  him,  for  he  is  a  jewel  above  all  value. 

I  may  not  have  time  or  anything  more  to  write  you  to-day.  God 
bless  you,  niy  dear  wife. 

I  am  your  affectionate  husband,  etc. , 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Thursday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — It  is  now  nine  o'clock,  and  I  will  write  you  a  few 
lines  before  I  retire  to  bed.  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  not  have  time  to  write 
you  to-morrow  before  the  mail  closes. 

Your  letter  gave  me  great  satisfaction,  and  I  read  it  over  twice  with 
great  attention.  There  is  a  pleasure  which  can  be  better  felt  than  told  in 
hearing  from  those  we  love,  and  from  whom  we  have  been  separated  even 
a  few  days.  I  assure  you  that  I  envy  you  much  more  the  crying  and 
screaming  of  '  *  Will ' '  every  night,  than  you  can  me  the  quietness  of  my 
sleep.  I  would  forego  the  sleep  of  two  nights  to  hear  him  cry  one  at 
present.  But  I  am  glad  he  is  so  bright  and  so  good,  and  will  excuse  him 
for  not  caring  more  for  my  absence. 


To  His  Wifk.  89 

I  purchased  for  you  to-day  a  pair  of  gaiter  shoes  ($2.50).  They  are 
very  good  and  nice  ones,  and  will  wear  all  Winter.  I  was  trying  to  get 
you  a  work-basket,  but  did  not  come  across  one  to  suit  me.  I  have  not 
purchased  the  rattle  for  Will,  I  dislike  giving  so  much  for  it.  Dr.  Irvine 
will  be  here  next  week  on  his  return  from  Charleston  to  Greenville,  and  I 
will  send  you  by  him  the  silver  cup  and  spoon,  the  gaiter  shoes,  the  ivory 
whistle  and  ring  for  Will,  and  the  rattle  and  basket,  if  I  purchase  them. 

I  saw  Albert  Rhett  this  morning  who  inquired  after  you,  and  also 
Mr.  Ramsay,  who  asked  about  you.  I  have  not  seen  the  resolutions  you 
mention  in  your  letter.  I  have  been  placed  on  the  committee  to  which  all 
the  memorials  and  presentments  about  spirits  have  been  referred,  and  I 
had  a  conversation  with  Rhett  on  the  subject  this  morning.  He  has  the 
matter  greatly  at  heart,  and  he  wishes  to  make  drunkenness  an  indictable 
offence  and  take  from  the  habitual  drunkard  all  his  property  and  give  it 
to  his  children  or  next  of  kin. 

We  have  done  very  little  in  the  Legislature  yet.  To-morrow  I  am  to 
argue  the  case  of  Mr.  Alston's  in  the  Court  of  Errors.  Mr.  Petigru  will 
assist  me.  Next  Tuesday  the  House  of  Representatives  will  resolve  itself 
into  a  Committee  of  the  Whole  and  take  up  my  bill  to  alter  the  Constitu- 
tion.    I  have  not  yet  made  my  report  on  the  Penitentiary. 

I  saw  M?-Sims,  the  novelist,  this  evening.  He  came  up  to  me  and 
made  himself  known,  and  gave  me  a  pressing  invitation  to  call  and  see 
him  as  I  went  to  Charleston  in  the  Spriiig,  and  that  he  intended  visiting 
the  upper  country  next  Summer  with  a  view  of  getting  materials  for  a 
novel.     He  asked  me  to  send  him  my  "  Revolutionary  Incidents." 

I  was  truly  sorry  to  hear  that  Victoria  behaved  so  badly,  and  that  the 
poor  calf  is  dead.  I  was  afraid  James  would  not  take  care  of  things  well. 
I  hope  you  will  make  Minerva  milk  Rose  well  or  vShe  will  soon  go  dry. 

Your  Uncle  Arthur  is  still  in  Columbia.  Mr.  Petigru  suggested  to 
me  the  propriety  of  his  running  for  the  Presidency  of  the  Railroad.  He 
stands  no  chance  of  being  elected  President  of  the  State  Bank. 

I  hope  you  and  Will  have  paid  some  pleasant  visits,  and  that  his  new 
hat  fits  better  than  the  other.  I  have  very  pleasant  company  at  this  house, 
all  from  the  lower  country  ;  but  there  is  no  company  like  yours  and 
Will's.  Good  night,  my  dear  wife, 

B.   F.   Pe^rry. 


90  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  Monday,  ii  o'clock. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  received  your  letter  this  morning,  and  was  so  mucli 
pleased  with  it  that  I  will  answer  it  instead  of  going  with  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Legislature  to  attend  the  College  Commencement.  I  had 
rather  spend  an  hour  in  writing  to  you  than  in  hearing  the  college  boys 
speak,  or  even  look  at  the  beauty  and  fashion  which  may  be  there  assem- 
bled this  morning. 

I  was  truly  glad  to  hear  that  you  and  Will,  the  servants,  cows,  etc., 
were  all  well.  I  was  also  glad  to  hear  your  views  in  relation  to  the  course 
to  be  pursued  on  the  various  matters  likely  to  come  before  the  Legisla- 
ture.    I  will  give  them  my  best  consideration. 

As  soon  as  they  return  from  college,  I  make  my  report  on  the  Peni- 
tentiary. It  was  read  in  committee  on  Friday  and  ordered  to  be  reported, 
etc.  To-morrow  my  bill  about  the  Judges  comes  up  for  consideration.  It 
will,  no  doubt,  produce  some  discussion. 

I  am  very  glad  that  your  Uncle  Arthur  is  so  warm  a  friend  of  mine. 
He  is  here  yet,  but  there  is  no  hope  of  his  being  elected.  -Mr.  Middleton 
came  to  me  yesterday,  and  said  from  the  relation  in  which  I  stood  towards 
him,  I  might  advise  him  to  withdraw  ;  but  this  I  declined. 

I  saw  Arthur  and  Alston  yesterday.  They  came  to  see  their  uncle 
at  Clark's,  and  I  showed  them  some  attention.  Their  mother  will  be 
here  next  week.  The  furniture  has  been  sent  up.  The}^  appear  to  be 
very  clever  boys  and  I  like  them. 

I  saw  Mr.  Wm.  Ed.  Hayne  this  morning.  We  spoke  about  your 
mother's  removal  to  Greenville.  It  is,  my  dear  wife,  a  great  thing  to  be 
independent,  although  poor.  I  feel  proud  that  I  am  able  to  live  in  com- 
fort and  be  independent  of  the  world.  But  every  one  should  reduce  their 
wants  to  their  means  ;  they  are  unhappy  if  they  do  not,  and  if  they  do 
they  are  happy  ;  but  I  know  and  am  proud  that  you  think  with  me. 

Yesterday  I  saw  General  Edwards,  who  inquired  kindly  after  you. 
Dr.  Lieber  invited  me  to  dine  with  him  to-day,  but  I  declined.  I  have 
not  seen  much  of  Mr^John  Cunningham.  John  applies  for  admission 
to-morrow  and  he  has  been  reading  pretty  hard.  Powell  also  applies  and 
comes  to  me  for  a  certificate  of  good  moral  character,  which  I  refused  to 
give,  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  displeased. 

Yesterday  was  Sunday,  and  in  the  evening  I  walked  with  Judge 
Evans  to  the  flower  garden  of  Ravenel,  and  looked  at  his  hot  house, 
plants  and  curiosities,  trees,  etc.     It  is  a  pretty  garden.  H^^^'^' 

My  dear  wife,  how  could  you  inquire  if  I  had  time  to  read  your 
letters.  I  wish  you  would  write  every  mail.  I  feel  lonely  when  I  go  to 
the  office  and  do  not  secure  a  letter  from  you. 


To  His  Wife.  91 

I  will  send  you  a  package  by  Dr.  Irvine.     Your  gaiter  boots  are  nice 
ones. 

I  must  now  conclude  as  I  have  to  write  to  Wells  also  this  morning. 
Kiss  Will  for  me.  Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Columbia,  Wednesday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz  . — I  have  just  purchased  for  you  one  of  the  prettiest 
and  most  substantial  work-baskets  you  ever  saw.  I  gave  for  it  $1.50. 
It  has  a  cover  and  a  handle  at  each  end  and  one  on  top.  I  am  sure  you 
will  be  pleased  with  it,  and  also  with  the  neat  and  substantial  gaiter 
boots,  and  likewise  with  the  ring  and  ivory  whistle  for  Will.  I  have  not 
purchased  his  rattle  yet  because  they  ask  too  much,  $6.50,  though  it  is 
very  pretty.  I  am  sorry  that  Dr.  Irvine  is  not  going  directly  to  Green- 
ville. He  goes  to  Rutherford.  I  may  send  them  by  him  however  ;  but 
this  will  be  putting  him  to  great  inconvenience.  I  understand  there  is  a 
gentleman  from  Tennessee  going  to  Greenville  in  the  stage,  I  may  send 
them  by  him. 

I  have  nothing  of  interest  to  write  you,  but  am  becoming  very  impa- 
tient to  return  home  and  meet  you  and  Will.  I  met  a  pretty  little  baby 
about  his  size  in  the  street  yesterday,  and  almost  stopped  still  to  gaze  at 
the  little  creature.  Twelve  months  since  I  should  have  passed  by  the 
little  thing  without  noticing  or  even  seeing  it ;  but  oh,  how  my  heart 
moved  when  I  saw  it,  and  thought  of  our  precious  little  boy.  How  one's 
feelings  do  change  and  soften  towards  children  after  they  have  one  of 
their  own.  You  are  right,  we  ought  to  be  very  thankful  for  this  little 
innocent  pledge  of  our  love  and  happiness. 

I  was  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  yesterday.  The  students  were 
examined,  and  Powell  and  Mr.  Cunningham  amongst  them.  I  have  not 
heard  whether  they  were  admitted  or  not,  but  understand  they  all 
answered  questions  very  poorly  and  ought  to  be  rejected.  Powell  applied 
to  me  for  a  certificate  of  moral  character,  which  I  refused  to  give  him. 
He  then  got  one  of  Whitfield. 

I  must  now  go  to  breakfast,  and  will  add  a  postscript  in  the  State 
House  if  I  have  anything  further  to  write.  I  hope  to  receive  a  letter  from 
you  this  evening.  Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry.      * 


92  LettkRvS  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Wednesday  evening,  3  o'clock. 

My  Dear  Wife: — I  have  been  all  day  engaged  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  and  the  Legislature  had  to  adjourn  in  consequence  of  \\\y 
absence.  This  makes  me  an  important  person  in  the  House.  My  bill 
about  the  Judges  came  up  and  was  laid  on  the  table  in  consequence  of  my 
not  being  present,  and  the  House  having  no  other  business  adjourned. 

Powell  is  rejected  and  very  much  provoked.  Mr.  Cunningham  is 
admitted.  The  Judges  laugh  a  good  deal  at  Powell's  examination,  all  of 
which  I  will  tell  you  when  I  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  my  dear 
Liz,  again. 

I  have  not  yet  had  dinner.  I  gained  my  case  in  Court  to-day  ;  case 
of  Mc  Daniel's,  but  lost  Alston's  the  other  day. 

I  met  Dr.  Hardy,  of  Ashville,  this  morning,  with  his  wife  under  his 
arm  ;  he  seemed  ashamed  to  see  me,  married  so  soon  after  the  first  wife's 
death.  She  is  good  looking  and  may  be  called  handsome.  •  I  only  saw 
her  in  the  street. 

Mr.  McBee  is  spoken  of  as  President  of  the  Railroad. 

I  have  just  seen  Randal  Croft.  Whilst  we  were  talking  in  the  street. 
Miss  Marshall  passed  and  spoke  to  Croft.     I  left  them. 

I  hope  to  receive  a  letter  from  you  at  four  this  evening. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Friday  morning. 
'  My  Dear  Wife  : — I  was  very  glad  to  receive  your  last  letter,  although 
you  gave  me  a  terrible  scolding  about  the  rattle.  I  believe  now  I  will  not 
buy  it,  but  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  impossible  to  get  the  little  wagon  carried 
up  if  I  purchase  it.  However,  if  I  can  find  any  conveyance,  I  will  .send 
it  up. 

I  am  very  happy  to  hear  from  you  that  all  is  going  on  well  in  my 
absence,  and  that  you  are  spending  your  time  pleasantly.  I  am  sure  with 
little  Will  you  ought  to  be  happy.  If  I  had  him  here,  I  could  be  happy 
whilst  kissing  the  little  crying  fellow  ;  but  I  am  very  anxious  to  get  back 
and  see  you.  The  time  seems  long.  Your  last  letter  was  taken  out  of 
the  post-ofiice  by  General  Whitner,  and  handed  me  in  the  State  House 
whilst  I  was  sitting  on  a  committee  and  listening  to  Albert  Rhett  speak, 
ing  on  the  subject  of  temperance.  I  became  very  impatient  to  read  the 
letter  before  he  and  Judge  O'Neal  concluded  their  speeches.  I  like 
General  Whitner.  He  said  there  were  other  letters  in  the  post-office  for 
me,  but  that  he  only  had  mone>'  to  take  out  the  one  from  my  wife.  He 
happened  there  as  the  mail  was  opened. 


To  His  Wife.  93 

Your  Aunt  Beaten  has  arrived  in  Columbia.  I  saw  William  Hayne 
yesterday,  he  is  pretty  well.  William  seemed  rather  "drooping;"  he 
came  up  to  Clark's  Hotel  and  was  walking  about  in.  the  passage  as  if  very 
much  abstracted.  I  told  him  Mr.  Cunningham  was  here  and  that  Mrs. 
Cunningham  was  expected  to-day.  He  then  walked  with  me  towards  the 
State  House,  inquired  for  Mrs.  'h-CiA  d.  ^  etc.  I  saw  him  again  at  Clark's 
at  night.  He  had  not  seen  Mrs.  Cunningham,  but  told  me  he  had  seen 
Simon . 

Randal  Croft  yvas  here  yesterday  and  could  not  find  a  place  to  sleep, 
and  I  had  to  give  him  a  part  of  my  bed.  He  told  me  that  he  was  at  Mr. 
Cunningham's  not  long  since,  but  Pamela  was  sick  or  unwell,  and  he  did 
not  see  her. 

I  made  a  speech  the  other  day  on  my  Judges'  bill  and  have  to  make 
another  to-day.  I  will  write  you  about  it  if  I  have  time  this  evening.  I 
received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Wells,  saying  you  were  in  fine  spirits,  and  he 
had  offered  to  assist  you  in  any  way  his  family  could,  etc.,  etc. 

I  must  now  go  to  my  breakfast.  Having  written  this  letter  to  you 
and  a  long  one  to  Wells  since  I  got  up  ;  am  I  not  smart  ? 

Friday  evening. 
The  House  has  just  adjourned,  and  I  have  succeeded  in  ordering  my 
bill  to  be  reported  to  the  House.     The  particulars  I  will  give  in  my  next. 

Good-bye,  my  dear  wife, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


I 


Columbia,  Sunday  morning. 

My  Dear  Wife: — I  hope  to  get  a  letter  this  evening.  You  must 
write  me  by  every  mail.  I  am  sure  you  would  if  you  knew  how^  much 
pleasure  your  letters  gave  me,  and  how  unhappy  I  am  when  I  do  not 
receive  one.  I  am  very  tired  of  Columbia,  and  very  anxious  and  impa- 
tient to  return  home.  It  makes  me  feel  very  unpleasant  when  I  think  at 
night  that  you  are  all  alone,  as  it  were,  with  little  Will  in  your  arms, 
crying  and  fretting  and  no  one  to  assist  you.  It  even  makes  tears  roll 
down  my  cheeks  now  whilst  writing  to  think  of  it.  I  will  not  leave  you 
so  long  again,  but  I  hope  you  employ  your  time  pleasantly  with  little 
Will.  He  is  indeed  "  a  precious  morsel,"  and  I  would  give  anything  to 
see  you  and  him  this  morning.  It  is  now  twenty  minutes  after  ten  and  I 
suppose  you  are  preparing  for  church,  as  it  is  a  most  delightful  day. 

I  closed  my  last  letter  to  you  very  abruptly,  as  it  was  just  after  a  long 
and  interesting  discussion  on  the  Judiciary  Bill,  in  which  I  had  been  sue- 


94  lyKTTERS  OF  BknJAMIN   F.    PKRRY 

cessful,  and  which  I  promised  to  give  you  an  account  of  in  this  letter.  I 
opened  the  debate,  and  Thompson,  of  Spartanburgh,  replied.  Wardlaw 
spoke  on  my  side.  Qellinger,  Elliot,  Philips  and  Thompson,  of  Union, 
spoke  against  us.  The  gallery  was  full  of  ladies — Mr.  Cunningham 
and  his  bride  amongst  them.  After  three  hours'  discussion,  in  which 
I  spoke  twice  and  Wardlaw  twice,  the  bill  was  reported  to  the  House 
by  a  vote  of  48  to  42.  I  think  that  I  acquitted  myself  pretty  well, 
especially  in  my  last  speech  ;  but  I  am  afraid  the  bill  will  not  pass, 
as  it  takes  a  majority  of  two-thirds  to  pass  a  bill  to  amend  the  Constitu- 
tion. Judge  Huger  has  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Senate  to  give  Judge 
Gantt  $1,500  and  excuse  him  from  circuit  duty  ;  but  it  will  not  pass. 

I  was  mistaken  about  Professor  Lieber's  family.  He  has  a  wife,  but 
she  is  not  at  home,  and  this  induced  me  to  make  the  mistake.  He  said  I 
must  put  up  with  his  humble  fare,  that  he  was  all  alone,  etc.  He  after- 
wards told  me  that  Mrs.  lyieber  was  not  at  home.  I  declined  taking 
dinner  with  him  on  the  day  of  commencement,  but  he  says  he  wishes  me 
and  all  those  of  my  commijbtee^j^liio^et^  ^vpr  of  a  penitentiary,  to  do  so 
some  day  yet.  I  have  no  time  to  go  anywhere  or  see  any  one.  My  time 
is  constantly  and  laboriously  occupied,  butT  hope  I  am  acquiring  some 
little  reputation  by  it. 

I  saw  Mr.  Ravenel  yesterday  ;'  he  is  just  from  town  and  saw  your 
mother  and  sisters  a  day  or  two  since.  Anne  was  not  so  well.  He  said 
your  mother  was  very  much  pleased  with  the  idea  of  moving  to  Green- 
ville. 

Mr.  McBee  has  been  elected  the  President  of  the  Railroad  with  a 
salar>'  of  $4,000.  He  is  very  much  elated  with  his  election,  I  understand, 
and  says  he  is  proud  that  the  mantle  of  General  Hayne  should  have  fallen 
on  him. 

I  have  written  to  Mr.  Blasingame  and  requested  him  to  look  at  the 
cows  and  hogs,  and  see  if  James  is  managing  them  well,  and  to  let  you 
know  if  anything  is  going  amiss. 

I  have  been  induced  to  buy  more  books.  They  were  selling  so  cheap 
I  could  not  resist.  I  have  bought  some  most  beautiful  annuals  for  1840, 
parlor  scrap  book,  etc.,  etc.,  very  cheap;  onefor$i.5o,  which  sells  for  $5. 00, 
and  several  others  in  same  proportion.  "  Cooper's  Naval  History"  for 
$2.75,  which  sells  for  $6.00.  "Scott's  Commentaries  of  the  Bible," 
which  used  to  sell  for  $25.00,  I  got  for  $4.50.  You  must  not  scold  me  a 
great  deal — just  a  little.  Farewell,  my  dear  wife, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


1JHI7BRSIT7; 


To  His  Wifk.  *       95 

Columbia,  Wednesday  morning. 

My  Dear  Wife  : — I  received  your  letter  of  Thursday  last  on  Sunday 
evening,  after  I  had  written  to  you  in  the  morning.  The  Postmaster 
after  great  persuasion,  opened  the  office  for  me,  contrary  to  his  rules. 

I  am  very  happy  to  hear  you  are  spending  your  time  pleasantly,  and 
that  your  neighbors  are  disposed  to  be  more  kind  to  you  in  consequence 
of  your  being  alone.  This  proves  to  j^ou  what  I  have  always  said,  that 
the  people  of  Greenville  had  genuine  kindness,  kindness  which  would 
never  be  wanting  when  needed  by  their  friends  and  acquaintances.  Theirs 
is  not  politeness  but  kindness.  It  comes  not  from  a  polished  exterior,  but 
from  a  good  heart. 

I  suppose  Mrs.  Butler's  compliments  to  me  in  Will's  likeness  and 
nose,  are  a  sort  of  return  for  the  interest  which  I  manifested  in  her 
brother's  (Commodore  Oliver  H.  Perry)  reputation.  She  is  a  warm- 
hearted woman  with  strong  feelings  and  prejudices.  You  can  never  rely 
on  her  judgment,  though  you  may  always  on  her  impulses  and  feelings. 
But  that  Will's  nose  should  look  like  mine  is  preposterous  ;  I  only  wish  it 
did.  There  may  be  more  truth  in  the  observation  of  Mrs.  Mays  that  he 
smiled  like  me.  Mrs.  Mays  is  an  unsophisticated,  frank,  good  lady,  pos- 
sessing a  good  mind.  I  am  very  much  pleased  that  your  hat  for  Will  is 
so  much  admired,  but  much  more  pleased  that  your  skill  and  industry 
should  be  admired,  and  that  your  character  for  courage  and  perfection  as 
a  good  wife,  should  be  duly  appreciated  by  others  as  it  is  by  your 
husband. 

Your  Uncle  Arthur  has  declined  being  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency 
of  the  Bank,  and  has  been  nominated  as  one  of  its  directors.  He  is  still 
here.  William  Hayne  has  returned  to  Charleston.  Mr.  Cunningham 
and  his  bride  have  gone  to  Abbeville. 

I  have  not  seen  your  Aunt  Benton  yet.  General  Edwards  asked  me 
the  other  morning  if  I  had  been  to  see  her.  He  said  he  would  like  to  see 
her,  but  he  was  afraid  it  might  be  unpleasant  to  her  and  should  not  call. 
I  may  call  at  the  hoUvSe  before  I  leave  Columbia. 

I  told  Burt  yesterday  of  your  undertaking  to  give  me  directions  as  to 
my  course  in  the  Legislature,  which  pleased  him  very  much.  I  like  Burt 
very  much.  I  introduced  your  Uncle  Arthur  to  him,  and  your  uncle  is 
very  much  pleased  with  him,  speaks  in  high  terms  of  him  and  calls  him 
my  friend. 

I  hope  to  receive  another  letter  from  you  this  evening.  Do  write  me 
every  mail.  I  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  you  when  we  meet,  but  have  not 
time  to  write  you  much.  My  business  increases  here  and  I  have  less  time 
every  day. 


96  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  must  now  conclude,  my  dear  Liz.  Kiss  our  little  boy  for  me.  I 
hope  he  does  not  cry  much  and  has  grown  a  great  deal.  I  long  to  see 
you  both.  Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Friday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  have  received  all  3'our  letters  and  they  have  given 
me  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  In  fact  they  have  been  the  only  things 
which  reconciled  me  to  this  place,  for  I  assure  you  I  am  heartily  tired  of 
legislation  and  Columbia.  Your  letter  by  Wednesday's  mail  was  received 
this  evening,  and  I  read  it  over  twice  before  I  read  any  of  the  other  letters 
which  came  to  me. 

I  have  purchased  the  little  wagon,  the  neatest  thing  you  ever  saw  ; 
it  has  a  top  and  handsomely  rigged  off.  I  gave  for  it  $5.00.  I  have  also 
bought  for  Will  the  most  convenient  thing  you  ever  saw  ;  it  is  a  basket 
chair  with  arms  on  each  side  and  a  table  in  front,  so  that  he  can  neither 
fall  out  or  turn  over.  It  is  just  as  safe  as  if  he  was  in  the  arms  of  his 
nurse.  You  can  put  on  the  table  his  playthings.  It  cost  $3.00.  I  have 
had  them  both  packed  up  and  carefully  covered  with  a  mat,  and  the  stage 
contractor  has  promised  me  to  let  them  go  up  on  top  of  the  stage  free  of 
expense.  You  see  I  will  have  a  great  many  things  to  show  you  when  I 
return  home.     If  I  can  get  any  shoes  for  Will  I  will  do  so. 

I  think  I  shall  be  at  home  next  Friday- night.  I  will  endeavor  to  get 
ofif  two  days  before  the  Legislature  adjourns,  so  as  to  avoid  a  crowd,  and 
meet  my  wife  and  son  sooner  than  I  otherwise  should. 

Your  Uncle  Arthur  had  an  interesting  talk  with  me  the  other  evening 
about  your  mother  and  her  affairs.  He  said  her  connection  with  me  gave 
him  the  greatest  satisfaction  ;  that  he  felt  happy  when  he  thought  of  it, 
and  knew  that  she  had  one  so  nearly  connected  with  her  who  was  so 
capable  of  being  her  protector  and  friend. 

I  have  nothing  new  to  write.  I  told  Colonel  Brockman  that  you 
inquired  what  had  become  of  him,  which  seemed  to  please  him  very  much. 
He  did  not  come  up  from  Charleston  until  the  latter  part  of  the  first  week 
of  the  session.  We  sit  near  each  other  in  the  Legislature,  but  board  at 
different  houses. 

I. am  boarding  with  low  county  members  entirely,  and  like  them  very 
much  ;  but  I  have  not  time  to  associate  much  with  them. 

Mr.  McBee  started  home  after  his  election  and  they  sent  for  him  to 
come  back  again.  The  Charleston  people  do  not  like  his  being  elected 
at  -^11  ;  but  he  is  not  going  to  resign  to  please  them. 


To  His  Wife.  97 

I  must  now  go  to  breakfast,  and  immediately  after  breakfast  I  have 
to  meet  a  committee,  and  immediately  afterwards  have  to  take  my  seat  in 
the  House,  where  I  will  have  to  sit  till  four  o'clock  in  the  evening,  then  I 
come  home  and  get  my  dinner  and  perhaps  a  letter  from  you,  then  I  have 
to  go  back  and  meet  a  committee  till  eight  or  nine,  then  come  home  and 
get  supper,  then  write  reports  and  letters  till  eleven. or  twelve  o'clock, 
then  to  bed  and  up  in  the  morning  by  daylight,  and  often  I  am  by  candle- 
light.    Good  morning,  my  dear  wife  ;  kiss  little  Will  for  me. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


C01.UMBIA,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Lizzy: — I  could  not  write  you  by  the  last  mail.  I  was 
busily  engaged  in  making  speeches  and  replying  to  speeches  in  the  House 
of  Representatives  until  the  mail  had  closed.  We  had  quite  an  interesting 
discussion  on  Monday  relative  to  the  Richland  election.  Mr.  Rhett, 
Bellinger,  Dudley  and  myself  on  one  side,  and  Wardlaw,  Henry,  Colonel 
Hunt,  Elliott  and  Thompson  on  the  other.  I  have  been  very  much  com- 
plimented since  my  arrival  here  on  account  of  my  address  last  Summer  on 
the  Presidential  election.  Colonel  Memminger  told  me  it  was  the  best 
article  of  the  kind  he  had  ever  seen,  and  that  if  all  the  members  had 
made  such  an  address  to  their  constituents  throughout  the  United  States, 
Harrison  would  never  have  been  elected.  Colonel  Dudley  told  me  that 
my  address  was  the  text  book  of  all  the  Democrats  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  State  ;  that  it  was  more  sought  after  and  spoken  of  than  any  other 
paper,  and  that  there  was  great  inquiry  with  the  common  people  to  know 
all  about  me,  what  I  was  and  who  I  was  ?  Several  other  members  have 
introduced  themselves  to  me  and  said  they  became  acquainted  with  me 
through  my  address. 

When  the  House  was  organized,  Colonel  Hunt  and  McGrath  came  to 
me  and  requested  me  to  call  Colonel  Davie  to  the  chair,  which  I  did.  So 
far  we  have  had  quite  a  pleasant  session.  I  have  met  a  great  many  of  my 
friends  and  acquaintances,  who  seemed  glad  to  find  me  in  the  legislature 
again. 

I  saw  Mr.  Hayne  this  morning  ;  he  says  they  are  all  well  in  Charles- 
ton. I  have  also  seen  Mr.  Martin  and  Taylor,  who  inquired  after  you  all. 
I  have  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  going  to  see  Mrs.  Hayne  or  sending 
to  her  your  present,  but  will  do  so  in  the  morning. 

Whilst  passing  up  street  to-day,  I  stepped  into  the  jeweller's 
store  and  purchased  a  present  for  you  of  great  value,  one  which  will  last 
a  great  while  and  be  of  great  service  to  us.     I  think  it  is  the  best  present 


98  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  can  make  you,  but  I  will  not  tell  you  what  it  is.  I  have  also  bought 
some  books,  and  one  which  I  know  you  will  admire  ;  I  will  send  it  to  you 
by  Colonel  Towns.  As  yet  we  have  had  no  auction  of  books  in  Columbia. 
I  have  seen  a  beautiful  copy  of  "  Nicholas  Nickleby,"  which  I  will  pur- 
chase. I  have  not  yet  made  any  purchase  for  "  Will,"  but  tell  him  to  be 
a  good  boy  and  I  .will  bring  him  a  beautiful  present  in  the  shape  of  a  hat 
or  son^e  other  equally  useful  article  of  dress.  I  think  very  often  of  you 
all,  and  would  give  a  great  deal  if  I  could  only  transport  myself  for  a  few 
minutes  into  the  room  where  you  are  seated  with  Will.  I  hope  you  will 
learn  him  to  talk  before  I  return. 

You  must  write  me  how  you  are  all  doing,  how  your  mother's  house 
comes  on  and  the  news  of  Greenville.  We  had  a  tolerably  pleasant  trip 
down  to  Columbia.  I  am  glad  I  did  not  bring  your  mother's  carriage 
and  horses,  as  the  roads  became  bad  after  the  rain.  I  hope  to  hear  from 
you  by  to-morrow's  mail.  You  must  write  me  every  mail,  and  I  will 
write  you  as  often  as  I  can. 

It  now  only  wants  twenty  minutes  of  twelve  o'clock  in  the  night  and 
I  must  close  my  letter.  I  have  taken  a  very  active  part  for.  Colonel 
Towns  in  his  election.     I  think  he  will  be  elected  very  easily. 

Kiss  Will  for  me  and  give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  the  young 
ladies.  Tell  them  I  have  been  thinking  of  a  suitable  present  to  make 
them,  but  have  not  yet  determined  in  my  own  mind  what  it  should  be. 

Good. night,  my  dear  wife,  God  bless  you  and  protect  you. 

Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Friday  morning. 
My  Dear  Wife: — I  received  your  letter  on  Wednesday  evening, 
and  I  have  seldom  read  one  of  your  letters  with  more  interest  and  plea- 
sure. It  would  not  do  for  me  to  say  that  I  read  it  with  more  interest 
than  I  did  your  letters  before  we  were  married.  The  opinion  of  the  world 
is  that  persons  feel  more  interest  in  hearing  from  each  other  whilst  they 
are  wooing  and  courting  than  at  any  other  time.  I  am  sure,  however, 
that  I  take  more  interest  in  you  and  love  you  more  than  I  did  before  we 
were  married,  and  no  one  who  knows  my  heart  could  have  accused  me 
of  loving  you  less  than  t  ought  to  whilst  addressing  you  and  whilst  we 
were  engaged.  I  think  love  increases  between  those  who  are  happily 
married  and  are  worthy  of  being  loved,  more  especially  if  they  have  such 
a  pledge  as  little  Will  to  unite  them.  I  was  much  pleased  at  the  story 
you  told  of  the  little  fellow  mistaking  Dr.  Crook  for  me,  and  shed  tears  ol 


To  His  Wife.  99 

joy  whilst  reading  your  letter.  He  has  not  forgotten  me,  but  I  am  afraid 
he  will  before  I  return.  Should  he  do  so,  I  suppose  it  will  not  be  a  hard 
matter  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  the  young  gentleman  again  ;  an 
invitation  to  ' '  go  and  see  the  horses ' '  will  be  introduction  enough.  How 
I  should  like  to  see  the  little  fellow  this  morning  in  his  night  gown,  . 
strutting  from  the  bed  to  the  fire-place.  I  hope  you  keep  him  warm  at 
night  and  prevent  him  from  crawling  out  from  under  the  cover. 

I  sent  your  mother's  letter  and  presents  to  Mrs.  Hayne  yesterday 
morning  by  a  servant.  She  is  quite  well  and  said  she  was  very  much 
obliged  to  me,  etc.,  and  would  be  glad  to  see  me.  I  will  call  on  her  soon, 
but  I  am  so  busy  that  I  hardly  have  time  to  do  anything.  I  find  every 
thing  very  pleasant  here.  The  members  of  the  Legislature  express  great 
kindness  and.  respect  for  me,  my  opinion  and  speeches.  They  all  com- 
pliment my  address  of  last  Summer.  Governor  Memmiger  told  me  he  had  Wi'-*^* 
it  read  at  a  public  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Marlborough  district. 

Your  story  about  George  Williamson  was  quite  amusing.    According  ^ldliJ\ 
to  your  account  you  have  almost   discovered  in   him   a   relation.     Old 
George  is  a  very  good  old  fellow,  and  I  believe  has  always  been  a  good 
friend  of  mine. 

Albert  Rhett  took  supper  with  me  the  other  evening  at  this  house, 
and  inquired  very  particularly  about  you  and  your  mother,  and  said  he 
knew  you  all  very  well  whilst  in  New  Haven  ;  he  inquired  whether  your 
mother  was  living  with  me  or  separately,  whether  building,  etc.  I  like 
him  very  much,  and  we  generally  take  the  same  side  in  speaking,  and 
have  been  both  complimented  by  the  Whig  paper  in  this  place  for  our 
course  on  the  contested  election  in  Columbia,  which  is  now  before  the 
Legislature.  My  old  friend.  Judge  Huger,  arrived  here  last  night  and 
took  lodgings  at  this  house.  We  sat  together  at  breakfast  and  had  a  long 
talk  over  matters  and  things  in  general.  q^^^ 

There  is  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Huston  who  was  introduced  to 
me  by  Albert  Rhett ;  he  is  from  Beaufort,  and  a  candidate  for  Solicitor  of 
that  circuit.  Is  he  not  some  relation  of  yours  ?  It  seems  to  me  I  have 
heard  you  say  that  you  had  relatives  by  that  name.  He  is  a  relation  of 
the  Colcocks  ;  but  I  can't  vote  for  him  in  opposition  to  Colonel  Edwards. 
He  appears  to  be  a  modest,  sensible  man,  and  did  not  mention  to  me  that 
he  was  a  candidate.     Colonel  Edwards  first  told  me  of  it. 

I  attended  the  cattle  show  on  Wednesday  ;  there  was  no  cow  shown 
that  I  would  have  given  Victoria  for.  You  must  write  me  how  the  pigs, 
horses  and  cows  come  on.  I  am  to  get  from  Summer,  of  Newbery,  some 
Berkshire  pigs  in  the  Spring.     They  are  most  beautiful. 


loo  IvETTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Pkrry 

I  write  you  in  great  haste.  Give  my  love  to  all  and  kiss  Will  for  me, 
and  if  he  don't  behave  well  give  him  a  slap  for  me  and  tell  him  I  would 
have  done  so  if  I  had  been  there.  I  dreamed  the  other  night  that  he 
could  talk  and  repeat  any  word  that  you  pronounced. 

Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Sunday  afternoon. 

My  Dear  Liz . — I  went  to  church  this  morning  and  will  spend  the 
evening  in  writing  to  you.  I  saw  Bishop  Gadsen  confirm  forty  or  fifty 
persons  this  morning  in  the  Episcopal  Church.  The  most  of  them  were 
young  ladies,  some  few  young  men  and  half  a  dozen  negroes  (colored 
people).  I  sat  with  Colonel  Ben  Taylor  in  a  pew  with  his  wife  and 
daughters,  one  of  whom  was  confirmed.  Colonel  Taylor  inquired  the 
other  day  about  your  mother,  and  whether  Anne's  health  was  better. 
There  were  a  great  many  persons  in  church.  I  saw  your  aunt,  Mrs. 
General  Hayne  in  church,  but  had  no  opportunity  of  speaking  to  her. 
She  looks  very  much  broken  and  begins  to  wear  the  appearance  of  an  old 
"lady.  I  will  call  and  see  her  to-morrow  or  the  next  day.  I  met  Bishop 
Gadsen  in  the  post  office,  who  inquired  very  kindly  after  my  family.  Mr. 
Holmes  inquired  after  your  mother,  and  told  me  he  had  taken  Beaufort  F. 
Watts  for  me  the  other  night,  and  asked  after  Mrs.  McCall ;  Watts 
replied  he  did  not  know.  Holmes  asked  if  she  was  not  in  Greenville  ; 
Watts  replied  he  did  not  know.  Holmes  asked  if  he  was  not  addressing 
Mr.  Perry  and  the  mistake  was  discovered. 

I  will  send  you  by  Colonel  Towns  a  box  containing  a  set  of  decanters, 
four  in  number,  a  dozen  tumblers  and  a  dozen  cups  and  saucers ;  also  a 
dozen  silver  forks  and  a  dozen  small  ones  (I  mean  German  silver)  ;  steel 
forks  are  out  of  fashion  and  German  silver  has  taken  their  place.  They 
were  very  cheap,  the  small  ones  $4.00,  and  the  larger  size  $6.00 ;  the 
butter  knives  were  $3.00,  the  cups  and  saucers  $4.00,  decanters  $13.00, 
tumblers,  $4.50,  the  labels  for  spirits,  $1.50.  You  must  not  scold  me; 
everything  was  so  pretty  and  cheap  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation. 
The  cups  and  saucers  and  tumblers  we  absolutely  needed.  The  decanters 
I  desired  very  much.  I  thought  the  forks  would  please  you.  I  will  send 
you  also  '*  The  Young  Ladies'  Friend,"  a  book  of  great  value  and  pleas- 
ing. The  chapter  on  neatness  reminded  me  very  much  of  you  and  your 
neatness.     I  am  delighted  with  the  book. 


To  His  Wife.  loi 

I  saw  the  Greenville  stage  pass  by  my  window  just  now,  and  I  went 
to  the  office  hoping  to  hear  from  you,  but  I  found  the  office  shut  and  the 
mail  bags  lying  in  front  of  the  office  ;  I  could  see  no  one  and  had  to 
return.  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  hear  from  you,  but  I  ought 
hardly  to  expect  it  from  your  last  letter. 

For  politics,  I  refer  you  to  my  letters  to  Wells  in  the  Mountaineer. 
You  need  have  no  fears  on  the  subject  of  the  penitentiary,  I  will  not  start 
the  question  in  any  objectionable  way. 

I  will  to-morrow  buy  Will  a  hat  and  send  it  by  Towns.  If  I  do  not, 
I  will  bring  it  with  me,  also  some  of  your  books  named  in  your  last  letter, 
and  some  presents  for  you  and  mother  and  Susan  and  Anne. 

If  I  have  time  I  will  write  you  again  to-morrow  ;  if  I  have  not,  you 
must  take  the  will  for  the  deed. 

I  have  a  bad  cold  and  made  two  speeches  last  night,  which  gave  me 
a  cough,  and  I  am  not  so  well  this  evening.  Kiss  Will  for  me  and  teach 
him  to  talk.  Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 

fSKKjSJi^  Monday  night. 

I  went  to  see  your  Aunt  Benton  this  morning,  but  she  had  gone  to 
church.  I  will  call  again  before  I  leave  town.  I  did  not  hear  from  you 
by  Sunday's  mail.  I  could  not  get  Will's  hat  to-day  ;  I  went  into  a  great 
many  stores,  but  they  had  no  IvCghorn  or  straw  hats  that  would  suit  him. 
I  will  try  again  before  I  return.  I  have  a  dreadful  cold,  and  am  so  hoarse 
I  can  hardly  speak  so  as  to  be  heard  at  all. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Friday  morning. 
My  Dear  Lizzy  : — I  received  your  long  letter  of  advice  and  counsel 
on  Wednesday  evening,  for  which  I  thank  you  most  kindly,  and  which  I 
read  with  great  interest  and  infinite  amazement.  Som^  portions  of  your 
letter  I  repeated  to  Mr.  Burt,  which  seemed  to  please  him  very  much.  I 
presented  your  compliments  to  him  and  also  yours  and  mother's  to  Albert 
Rhett.  Burt  said  he  intended  to  have  called  to  see  you  at  Court,  but 
neglected  doing  so.  Albert  Rhett  said  he  was  once  very  intimate  with 
your  mother  and  family,  that  his  intimacy  had  been  broken  off  or  inter- 
rupted by  what  he  supposed  the  displeasure  of  General  Hayne.  That  on 
some  occasion  he  had  advised  your  mother  contrary  to  the  advice  of 
General  Hayne,  who  resented  it  with  marked  coldness  towards  him.  Mr. 
Rhett  regretted  that  he  had  not  seen  more  of  your  mother,  ai;d  that  th^ir 


I02  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

former  friendship  had  in  the  slightest  been  interrupted  for  some  years 
past. 

I  received  a  letter  from  j^our  Uncle  Arthur  by  Colonel  Gadsen,  intro- 
ductory merely,  and  thanking  me  for  the  interest  I  had  taken  in  his  elec- 
tion last  Winter.  He  wrote  to  Mr.  Burt  also  by  Colonel  Gadsen.  We 
have  both  received  letters  from  him  since  introducing  to  us  a  man  who  is 
from  the  North  getting  subscribers  for  an  engraving  of  General  Hayne. 
I  do  not  think  the  engraving  a  good  one  ;  it  is  a  small  print  about  the 
size  of  the  one  I  have  of  Lafayette.  Your  Aunt  Benton  sent  me  word  the 
next  day  after  I  had  called  to  see  her  that  she  was  sorry  she  was  not  at 
home,  and  would  be  glad  to  see  me  at  any  time,  and  that  I  must  call 
again  and  see  her.  I  will  do  so,  perhaps,  to-day  ;  but  I  am  really  so  busy 
that  I  have  not  time  to  see  any  one. 

We  are  getting  on  very  pleasantly  in  the  Legislature.  Colonel  Daw- 
kins  has  been  elected  Solicitor  of  the  Middle  Circuit ;  your  Cousin  Martin 
has  been  beaten.  I  have  not  become  acquainted  with  Mr.  Fuller,  but  I 
discover  there  is  a  member  by  that  name.  Chancellor  Dunkin  inquired 
after  you  very  kindly  the  other  day  and  so  did  Judge  Huger.  Mr.  Burt, 
Judge  Huger  and  myself,  have  taken  our  seats  together  at  a  small  table 
for  dinner,  supper,  etc.  We  always  have  the  same  seats  and  converse  a 
great  deal,  and  long  after  all  the  others  have  eaten  and  gone.  I  think 
Judge  Huger  the  finest  specimen  of  a  Carolina  gentleman  I  have  ever 
seen  ;  he  becomes  better  looking  as  he  grows  older,  and  it  is  the  remark 
of  every  one  that  he  looks  like  a  Roman  Senator.  "*   pUJciau 

We  have  had  considerable  debate  in  the  House  on  various  matters, 
and  on  one  qhestion  between  the  upper  and  lower  country,  I  was  the  first 
to  show  my  zeal  in  favor  of  the  former,  so  you  need  be  under  no  appre- 
hension of  my  being  caught  in  wrong  company. 

I  have  bought  '*  Nicholas  Nicholby,"  "  Pickwick  Papers,"  ''Men  at 
Arms,"  by  James;  "Moore's  Life  of  Byron,"  etc.  I  got  them  all 
cheap.  I  have  bought  a  complete  set  of  Bulwer's  novels  for  the  female 
library,  in  twenty  volumes,  at  twelve  and  a  half  cents  a  volume,  and  they 
are  bound.  I  have  not  made  many  purchases  for  the  library  yet,  but  will 
lay  out  the  funds  given  me  advantageously,  you  may  tell  Dr.  Crook. 

I  am  sorry  to  hear  James  has  been  thrown  and  hurt ;  he  had  better 
not  ride  the  horse  any  more  ;  the  horse,  too,  had  better  be  allowed  to  run 
in  the  lot  which  you  enter  from  the  garden  occasionally,  as  that  will  make 
him  less  frolicsome.  If  the  weather  turns  cold,  you  had  as  well  get  Allen 
to  help  John  kill  the  hogs,  such  of  them  as  are  fat  enough,  but  it  is  a 
matter  of  no  difference,  and  therefore  do  as  you  think  best.     Make  James 


To  His  Wifk.  103 

feed  the  calf  better,  and  tell  John  I  want  the  cow  to  look  well  when  I 
return. 

I  hope  you  are  "getting  on,"  as  the  saying  is,  very  well.  I  hope 
little  Will  does  well ;  how  I  should  like  to  see  the  dear  little  boy.  I  have 
not  been  able  to  get  him  a  hat  yet,  although  I  have  hunted  a  second  time. 
I  have  engaged  a  music  box  for  Anne,  if  I  like  it  when  I  see  it ;  the 
jeweller  said  it  played  some  pretty  tunes,  and  he  could  get  it  for  me  for 
$5.00.  I  saw  a  beautiful  gold  thimble  at  $6.00,  which  I  had  a  thought  of 
getting  for  Susan,  as  she  is  pretty  dexterous  with  her  needle  ;  it  is  a  beau- 
tiful article,  and  will  always  be  "  worth  its  weight  in  gold."  I  have  not 
determined  on  a  present  for  you  and  your  mother.  Write  me  what  you 
wish. 

In  great  haste,  as  I  have  to  go  down  to  the  State  House. 

Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Columbia,  Sunday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  received  your  letter  this  evening,  dated  Friday 
afternoon,  which  gave  me  great  pleasure,  but  which  would  have  given  me 
much  more  if  it  had  been  much  longer. 

I  am  glad  the  box  and  its  contents  have  arrived  safely,  and  that  you 
are  pleased  with  the  presents.  The  two  large  decanters  had  to  go  with 
the  other  two,  the  merchant  would  not  break  his  set.  I  will  get  the 
knives  as  you  desired.  I  would  have  done  so  when  I  bought  the  silver 
forks,  but  was  under  the  impression  you  had  knives  which  we  had  not 
used,  or  used  but  little.  The  hat  for  Will  is  hard  to  get,  and  I  think  he 
will  have  to  do  without  it  or  put  up  with  a  fur  hat.  It  is  impossible  to 
find  one  3^ou  wish. 

Colonel  Martin  told  me  I  might  inform  you  that  Mr.  Taylor  had  lost 
his  youngest  child,  which  died  the  other  day  ;  he  also  informed  me  that 
Mr.  Wm.  Kd.  Hayne  had  also  lost  his  youngest  child,  which  died  about 
the  same  time.  I  have  not  yet  seen  Mrs.  Robert  Hayne  ;  the  weather  has 
been  so  bad  I  have  not  been  able  to  go  around  and  see  her.  I  met  one  of 
her  sons  in  the  Senate  Chamber  the  other  day.  The  other  was  there,  but 
I  did  not  see  him  ;  he  told  me  they  were  all  w^ell. 

The  Commencement  in  College  is  to-morrow.  The  next  day  and  the 
day  after,  we  shall  have  considerable  debating  in  the  House,  on  Banks 
and  the  Right  of  Instruction.  We  have  already  had  a  good  deal.  I  refer 
you  to  my  letters  to  Mr.  Wells  for  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
lyCgislature. 


I04  lyKTTERS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  told  Burt  the  story  of  Will  taking  Dr.  Crook  for  me  since  I  have 
been  absent,  and  he  told  me  to  tell  you  he  was  afraid  Will  was  near- 
sighted. I  told  him  that  Will  was  quite  young  and  rather  foolish  at 
present,  and  was  not  possessed  of  the  organ  of  individuality,  or  that  which 
distinguishes  one  person  from  another. 

To-day  has  been  so  bad  I  have  not  gone  to  church,  nor  have  I  seen 
Mr.  Pinckney.  I  suppose  I  shall  likely  meet  him  to-morrow  at  the  Com- 
mencement ;  I  shall  really  be  glad  to  see  him. ,  I  received  a  letter  from 
Colonel  Hoke  saying  that  John  W.  Roberts  had  commenced  preaching. 

I  will  get  your  mother  the  books  you  request  if  they  can  be  found  in 
the  book  stores. 

You  must  excuse  this  short  letter,  as  I  have  nothing  to  write.  I  hope 
you  are  all  well  and  making  out  well.  I  should  like  very  much  to  see 
you  all.  I  hope  to  have  that  pleasure  to-night  two  weeks  ;  the  day  agreed 
upon  by  the  House  for  adjournment  is  Friday  i8th. 

Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Thursday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  must  write  you  to-night,  as  I  shall  not  have  time 
to  do  so  in  the  morning.  Your  letter  gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  read  with 
infinite  satisfaction  your  advice,  and  always  take  the  concluding  part  of  it 
which  is  to  do  as  I  think  best.  You  have  reason  to  believe  me  a  most 
dutiful  and  obedient  husband  in  always  accepting  the  last  advice  given 
by  you. 

I  made  a  speech  yesterday  which  has  drawn  from  the  members  much 
praise  and  high  compliments.  You  will  see  some  account  of  it,  and  the 
debate  generally,  in  the  next  Mountaineer.  Mr.  Carroll,  of  Barnwell, 
came  to  my  seat  to  thank  me  for  the  speech.  Colonel  Simon^on  said  it 
was  the  highest  triumph  of  reason  over  fanaticism  he  had  ever  witnessed. 
Colonel  Dudley  told  me  it  had  produced  a  complete  revolution  in  the 
House.  Colonel  Hunt  said  at  the  Governor's  party  in  the  evening,  that 
my  argument  was  "  not  only  convincing,  but  overwhelming."  Mr.  Bel- 
linger thanked  me  for  the  speech.  General  Adams  said  he  was  delighted 
with  it  and  congratulated  me  most  heartily.  The  speech  was  a  sponta- 
neous burst  of  feeling  against  the  bill  to  exclude  from  office  persons  who 
may  hereafter  be  concerned  in  a  duel.  The  gallery  was  crowded  with 
ladies.  The  question  had  been  discussed  two  days  before  I  spoke.  Mem- 
minger,   Henry,  S^Unons,   Fuller,   etc.,  in  favor  of  the  bill,  and  Borie, 


To  His  Wifk.  105 

Dudley  and  Singleton  against  it.     No  one  dared  to  reply  to  my  speech, 
and  the  House  rejected  the  bill. 

I  send  you  a  Cheraw  paper,  in  which  you  will  find  a  sketch  of  some 
of  the  members  of  the  Legislature,  and  your  husband  amongst  them,  first 
on  the  list.  The  sketches  are  written  by  Colonel  Dudley,  and  are  pleas- 
ing and  complimentary.  I  regard  the  compliment  to  myself  the  more 
highly  because  I  am  first  drawn. 

You  misunderstood  me  in  supposing  that  Albert  Rhett  thought  there 
was  any  coldness  or  want  of  friendship  on  the  part  of  your  mother.  He 
only  blamed  himself  for  having  neglected  to  keep  up  his  intimacy.  It 
would  be  improper  for  me  to  mention  the  subject  again  to  him  ;  there  is 
no  occasion  for  it,  and  it  would  seem  like  making  it  a  matter  of  unneces- 
vSary  consequence  and  importance.  I  see  a  good  deal  of  Rhett,  and  went 
with  him  this  evening  to  the  Governor's  levee.  I  returned  quite  early 
and  have  been  talking  with  Judge  Huger  all  the  evening  since. 

I  have  bought  a  music  box  for  Anne,  which  plays  most  charmingly 
''  Sweet  Home  "  and  "  Isabella."  It  is  a  pretty  box  and  in  good  tune. 
I  have  bought  the  gold  thimble  for  Susan,  and  had  the  initials  of  her 
name  cut;  on  it  beautifully.  I  bought  for  you  a  beautiful  set  of  knives, 
the  prettiest  I  ever  saw  ;  one  dozen  large  ones  and  a  dozen  small  ones  ; 
price,  $12.00.  I  also  bought  for  you  two  beautiful  salt  spoons,  with  silver 
bowls  and  pearl  handles,  $1.50  ;  two  pickle  knives,  beautifully  contrived 
to  be  fork  or  knife,  or  both,  silver  and  pearl,  $2.50  ;  for  myself  I  have 
bought  a  shaving  brush  and  a  cake  of  soap.  There  is  no  butter-knife 
left  like  those  I  sent  you,  but  I  will  get  one  for  your  mother  of  a  diiferent 
description  and  more  beautiful.  I  can  find  nothing  for  Will  yet.  I  will 
bring  him  a  father's  love,  at  least.  How  I  should  like  to  see  the  dear 
little  fellow  ;  another  week  and  I  hope  to  have  that  pleasure. 

I  am  very  kind  to  my  colleagues  and  like  them  very  much.  I  am 
polite  to  all  the  members,  and  I  believe  they  all  respect  me  very  much. 

I  must  now  bid  you  good-night,  as  it  is  after  eleven  o'clock.  Give 
my  love  to  all,  your  mother,  Susan  and  Anne.  Kiss  Will  for  me,  and  I 
will  pay  you  back  with  interest  when  I  return. 

I  forgot  to  tell  you  about  the  Bible  Convention,  but  you  will  see  all 
about  it  in  the  next  Mountaineer.  I  saw  Mr.  Pinckney,  he  was  detained 
two  days  on  the  road  by  bad  weather. 

Your  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


I06  LrETTERS  OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PERRY 

Columbia,  Sunday  morning. 

My  Dear  Lizzy: — Your  letter  of  Tuesday  was  received  Friday  eve- 
ning, and  gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  assure  you  I  read  all  of  your  advice 
with  the  greatest  interest,  and  have  much  respect  for  your  opinions  and 
counsel ;  but  you  need  not  be  uneasy  as  to  the  influence  which  they  may 
have  on  my  political  action.  I  always  reflect  when  I  differ  with  you  in 
opinion  that  it  is  because  you  are  not  so  well  acquainted  with  the  subject 
as  I  am  ;  that  you  have  not  reflected  so  much  about  it,  or  have  not  seen 
it  in  all  of  its  bearings. 

It  would  delight  me  to  have  Will  once  more  in  my  arms  seated  at  the 
foot  of  the  table.  I  shall  claim  the  exclusive  privilege  of  holding  the 
little  fellow  on  my  return,  which  privilege,  I  suppose,  none  of  you  will 
care  to  dispute  with  me  or  share  with  me.  Tell  him,  however,  I  shall 
slap  him  pretty  often  if  he  does  not  behave  himself.  This  day  week  I 
hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  meeting  you  all  again,  and  I  assure  you  it 
will  be  a  great  pleasure. 

I  cannot  get  the  books  you  desire,  nor  am  I  able  to  procure  Miss 
Leslie's  works  for  your  mother.  I  am  truly  sorry  that  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  get  the  butter-knife  either.  There  are  none  like  yours,  and  the  others 
are  such  as  you  once  bought  in  Charleston,  which  break  off" at  the  handle. 
There  is  a  pair  of  very  large  silver  ones  which  he  asks  $12.00  for,  and  not 
handsome.  I  must  study  out  some  other  present  for  your  mother.  I  am 
very  much  inclined  to  purchase  you  a  thimble  ;  Susan's  is  the  prettiest 
thing  you  ever  saw,  and  her  initials  beautifully  engraved  on  it.  You 
know  if  I  get  one  for  you  it  will  last  always.  I  prefer  spending  money 
for  something  which  will  last  and  be  of  value  years  hence.  I  think  dress 
and  frippery  the  poorest  way  in  which  money  can  be  spent ;  it  is  gone  or 
thrown  away  and  forgotten  in  a  short  time,  not  so  with  books,  jewelry,  etc. 

Your  mistake  in  waking  up  Delia  and  Eliza  was  an  amusing  incident, 
and  the  same  thing  occurred  to  me  last  night.  Colonel  Irby's  Jim,  who 
waits  on  me,  came  into  my  room  with  a  candle  and  armful  of  wood  and  pine 
to  make  a  fire.  I  thought  it  was  rather  soon  and  looked  very  dark.  Jim 
began  to  think  he  might  be  mistaken  and  looked  at  my  watch,  and  saw  it 
was  only  four  o'clock,  almost  three  hours  before  day.  He  very  gently 
laid  down  his  wood  and  went  off  to  sleep  again.  I  thought  of  your  mis- 
take and  laughed  heartily  at  the  coincidence. 

I  am  surprised  you  did  not  hear  of  Colonel  Towns'  election,  as  I  men- 
tioned it  in  my  letters  to  Wells.  I  saw  Samuel  Earle  in  a  jeweller's  shop  the 
evening  after  I  received  your  letter,  and  I  told  him,  by  way  of  plaguing 
him,  that  he  had  better  be  at  home,  that  I  had  just  received  intelligence 
there  was  some  one  interfering  with  his  arrangements  in  Greenville.     He 


To  His  Wife.  107 

appeared  to  be  very  uneasy  till  I  admitted  it  was  not  so  ;  but  I  told  him  I 
had  heard  something  about  the  24th,  which  made  him  blush. 

I  am  very  busy  ;  the  Legislature  did  not  adjourn  till  after  ten  o'clock, 
and  we  shall  have  to  sit  all  day  and  a  great  portion  of  the  night  con- 
stantly if  we  are  to  get  through  Friday  night.  For  an  account  of  our 
business,  I  must  refer  you  to  my  letters  in  the  Mountaineer. 

You  are  mistaken  about  the  character  of  the  books  I  have  purchased, 
they  are  all  valuable.  '*  Walker  on  Woman,"  is  a  learned  and  scientific 
work  and  very  interesting  ;  how  could  it  be  otherwise,  having  so  interest- 
ing a  subject  ?  "  The  Men  at  Arms,"  is  James'  last  novel,  "  Walker  on 
Intermarriage,"  is  a  most  curious  book,  telling  how  the  human  breed 
may  be  improved  by  intermarriage,  and  how  it  has  degenerated  in  royal 
families  by  the  marriage  of  relations. 

You  must  write  me  Wednesday  and  I  will  receive  it  Friday  night 
before  starting  home. 

Your  affectipnate  husband,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 

P.  S. — My  dear  wife,  since  writing  this  letter,  I  have  received  yours 
of  Thursday's  date,  which  was  a  most  agreeable  surprise,  as  you  said  you 
would  not  write  by  that  mail.  In  regard  to  the  carpet  you  have  my 
entire  approbation,  and  how  could  I  object  when  you  propose  to  purchase 
it.  I  will  be  certain  to  see  your  aunt,  Mrs.  Robert  Hayne,  before  I  leave 
here.  I  am  glad  you  and  Will  and  your  mother  and  Susan  are  well,  and 
am  very  sorry  to  hear  Anne  is  not  so.  I  received  a  letter  from  Colonel 
Towns  saying  you  had  been  unwell,  but  was  now  quite  well.  I  also  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  Mr.  Goodleti,  the  Sheriff,  saying  one  of  the  young 
ladies  was  slightly  indisposed.     I  hope  you  are  all  well  by  this  time. 


Columbia,  Monday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  received  your  letter  last  night  which  gave  me  great 
pleasure.'  I  did  not  hear  from  you  last  mail  and  was  uneasy.  You  wrote 
me  the  mail  before  that  you  had  a  pain  in  your  face.  I  went  down  to  the 
post  office,  which  is  never  opened  on  Sunday  evenings,  and  made  such  a 
fuss  that  they  let  me  in. 

I  am  trul}^  happy  to  know  you  are  getting  on  so  well,  for  your  situa- 
tion has  given  me  a  great  deal  of  uneasiness  ;  but  I  know  you  are  not  of 
a  fearful  disposition,  and  that  you  have  a  great  deal  of  good  practical 
sense  and  management.     I  believe  there  are  few  ladies  with  your  expe- 


loS  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

rience  who  could  get  on  in  the  world  better  than  yourself  if  thrown  on 
their  own  resources. 

I  have  purchased  Will  two  pair  of  shoes  for  $1.50;  they  are  very 
strong  and  neat  and  will  wear  a  great  while  ;  one  pair  is  too  large  for  him 
at  present.  Mr.  Burt  said  to  me  the  other  day  that  he  wished  to  make 
him  a  present  of  something  and  asked  what  would  be  the  most  suitable. 
He  asked  if  I  could  tell  the  size  of  his  head  ;  he  wished  to  give  him  a  hat. 
Burt  was  under  the  impression  that  we  had  lost  our  baby  again,  I  suppose 
from  Will's  colic  last  Summer  at  the  Court  of  Equity. 

Mr.  Cunningham  is  not  here  and  has  not  been.  John  has  returned 
as  I  wrote  you  in  my  last  letter. 

I  will  purchase  the  morocco  for  you  as  required  in  your  last  letter. 
You  may  expect  me  home  on  Friday  night  if  I  can  get  off ;  if  not,  I  shall 
be  home  Sunday  night.  I  am  very  anxious  to  get  off  and  be  at  home 
once  more  with  you  and  Will. 

As  I  expect  to  see  you  so  soon  and  have  so  much  to  say,  I  will  now 
conclude.  Hoping  this  letter  will  find  you  at  tea,  Will  asleep  in  his 
cradle,  and  Delia  at  your  back,  Minerva  in  the  kitchen  and  James  just 
returned  from  the  post  office.  Carlo  at  the  door,  and  the  cows  and  hogs  in 
their  proper  places,  and  all  well  and  happy. 

Good-morning,  my  dear  wife.     Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  May  3,  1841. 

My  Dear  Lizzy  ■ — I  have  only  time  to  write  you  a  few  lines  before 
the  mail  closes.  I  have  been  engaged  all  day  in  the  Court  of  Appeals, 
and  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  pretty  well  through  my  cases.  In  the 
case  you  were  kind  enough  to  copy  for  me  I  shall  get  a  new  trial.  I 
think  I  shall  also  in  the  case  of  McBee  and  Irvin  ;  that  is,  I  shall 
succeed,  but  no  new  trial  will  be  ordered.     The  other  side  appealed. 

I  sent  your  package  to  Mrs.  Hayne  this  morning  ;  she  sent  me  word 
that  she  would  be  very  glad  indeed  to  see  me  and  that  she  was  quite  well. 
I  will  go  and  see  her  to-morrow.  I  am  going  to  ride  out  this  evening 
with  Colonel  Fair  to  see  Hampton's  fine  horses.  I  shall  probably  start 
home  on  Friday  or  Saturday,  and  be  at  home  Sunday  or  Monday  night. 
I  had  quite  a  pleasant  ride  down  to  Columbia  ;  Judge  Gantt  overtook  us, 
and  wc  stopped  on  the  roadside  and  eat  yours  and  your  mother's  ginger 


To  His  Wife.  109 

cakes.     The  weather  was  cool  and  pleasant,     I  hope  you  had  no  frost  in 
Greenville.     There  was  a  slight  frost  at  I^aurens  the  night  I  staid  there. 

I  have  not  been  anywhere  to-day  except  to  the  Appeal  Court.  I  will 
endeavor  to  execute  your  commission  in  the  way  of  purchasing  guitar 
strings,  etc.  I  am  writing  in  Mr.  Burt's  room  and  he  is  reading  a 
novel  on  the  bed.  He  and  many  others  inquired  after  you.  I  may  pur- 
chase a  few  books  if  I  can  get  them  home.  Burt  is  going  to  Charleston 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  and  insists  on  my  going  with  him  ;  but  this 
I  shall  not  do. 

I  am  anxious  to  hear  from  you  and  Will,  and  went  to  the  post  office 
this  morning,  thinking  that  you  might  perchance  have  written  to  me.  I 
hope  Will  behaves  himself  quite  well,  and  that  you  are  managing  well, 
all  the  servants  obedient,  and  the  cows  well,  and  pigs  well  attended  to. 
I  shall  expect  a  letter  on  Wednesday  evening.  Your  briefs  were  handed 
to  the  Judges  this  morning,  and  I  suppose  they  thought  themselves 
highly  honored  in  having  you  to  write  for  them. 

Give  my  love  to  all  your  mother's  family.  Kiss  Will  for  me.  I  will 
write  you  more  fully  by  the  next  mail.     In  haste 

.    Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


CoivUMBiA,  Wednesday,  i  o'clock. 
My  Dear  Wife: — I  have  just  been  to  see  yQur  Aunt  Betiton*  ;  she»A/H/l< 
met  me  weeping  like  a  child,  and  I  burst  into  tears  with  her.  I  have  y  ^^ 
never  seen  any  one  so  much  altered  and  worn  down  with  grief  and  sorrow. 
I  do  not  believe  she  is  half  as  large  as  she  was  when  I  last  saw  her,  and 
she  looks  like  an  old  woman.  After  sitting  some  time  with  her  she 
became  composed  and  conversed.  She  says  her  health  is  bad  ;  that  if  it 
were  not  for  her  sons  she  had  no  object  to  live  for.  She  inquired  after 
you  and  mother  and  sisters  and  Will,  and  spoke  of  the  wisdom  your 
mother  had  shown  in  selecting  Greenville  as  her  residence  ;  said  it  had 
long  been  **  her  brother's  "  wish  that  she  should  do  so.  She  conversed 
very  freely  about  your  mother  and  herself  with  me.  Whilst  we  were 
talking,  Miss  Ramsay  and  Francis  Hayne  came  in.  They  are  in  Colum- 
bia a  few  days  on  a  visit ;  they  are  going  to  Judge  Harper's  on  a  visit.  I 
gave  them  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  visit  us  in  Greenville,  and  told 
them  it  would  give  us  great  pleasure*lo^l3^o.  I  think  they  were  half- 
way inclined  to  do  so,  although  they  refused.  One  of  Mrs.  Hayne's  sons 
came  in  whilst  I  was  there.     She  says  she  has  a  cap  for  Will,  and  some 


no  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry  ^ 

other  bundle  which  she  wishes  me  to  take  with  me,  and  which  she  will 
send  around  to  my  boarding  house. 

I  have  bought  Will  a  cap,  a  very  pretty  one,  new  fashion,  for  $3.00. 
I  have  bought  5^ou  a  gold  thimble,  $6.00,  and  have  had  your  initials  put 
on  it,  Susan's  in  the  same  way,  and  the  music  box  for  Anne.  I  am  sorry 
I  have  no  better  present  than  Miss  Leslie's  book  for  your  mother,  the 
knife  I  could  not  get. 

I  shall  be  at  home  Sunday  evening.  Judge  Karle  goes  up  in  the 
morning  and  is  to  carry  my  books  in  post  for  the  Greenville  Library  ;  he 
will  also  have  in  the  same  bundle  two  law  books  and  Miss  Leslie's  book. 

I  have  stolen  out  of  the  House  to  write  you,  and  write  in  great  haste. 
You  may  expect  me  Sunday  evening.  I  have  a  great  deal  to  tell  you. 
Kiss  Will  for  me.  Yours,  ^tc. , 

B.  F.  Perry. 

*  Mrs.  Robert  Y.  Hayne.  %^x\X}  ^odlUiuoOoM. 


Pickens  C.  H.,  Wednesday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity  of  writing  you  a 
few  lines  by  Colonel  Towns,  who  returns  this  morning.  I  have  been  very 
uneasy  about  you  ever  since  I  left  home.  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  had 
my  feelings  more  anxious  than  they  have  been.  I  hope,  however,  that 
you  will  be  as  good  as  your  promise  and  postpone  the  matter  until  my 
return  ;  but  should  it  be  otherwise,  I  have  the  consolation  of  knowing 
that  your  mother  will  be  with  you  and  every  other  assistance  you  might 
require.  It  would,  however,  be  much  better  if  I  could  be  with  you 
myself.  I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  be  able  to  return.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  business  in  Court,  and  I  have  a  good  share  of  it.  There  are 
several  important  cases  to  be  tried  in  which  I  am  concerned  ;  as  soon  as 
they  are  over  I  shall  be  at  home,  perhaps  Friday,  and  it  may  be  not  till 
Saturday. 

I  hope  Will  is  quite  well,  and  behaves  himself  better  of  nights  than 
he  did  last  week.  I  woke  up  in  the  night  and  put  out  my  hand  involun- 
tarily to  feel  if  the  cover  is  on  the  crib,  then  for  a  long  time  I  am  think- 
ing of  you  and  Will. 

My  horse  and  buggy  have  done  well,  except  that  the  wheel  got 
locked  by  the  tightness  of  the  screws  as  I  came  on  to  Pickens,  and  I  had 
to  get  out  and  walk  a  mile  in  the  night  through  the  mud.  General 
Thompson  was  with  me.  We  stopped  at  Pickensville  for  dinner,  and 
were  delayed  until  night  overtook  us  before  we  got  to  Pickens  Court 


To  His  Wifk.  hi 

House.     The  horse  is  very  gentle,  and  when  I  get  home  from  the  circuit 
I  Will  ride  you  out  every  day,  and  make  Will  sit  at  the  foot  of  the  seat. 

I  hope  my  pigs  are  doing  well  ;  you  must  make  Minerva  and  George 
attend  to  them  well. 

In  great  haste,  and  I  am  writing  whilst  others  are  talking  to  me. 

Yours  truly,  my  dear  wife, 

B.  F.  Pbrry. 


Anderson  C.  H.,  Wednesday  morning. 

Dear  Lizzy  : — I  have  time  only  to  write  you  a  line  this  morning  by 
Colonel  Towns.  I  cannot  say  when  I  shall  be  able  to  leave  this  place, 
not  till  the  last  of  the  week.  I  am  very  anxious  to  get  back  again  and 
see  you  and  Will  and  the  little  daughter.  I  do  not  feel,  however,  the 
same  uneasiness  that  I  did  at  Pickens,  as  it  is  all  over  and  you  are  doing 
well.  I  heard  by  General  Thompson  that  you  were  quite  well  Sunday 
evening.  I  am  anxious  to  see  the  dear  little  girl,  as  I  barely  got  a 
glimpse  of  her  before  I  started  from  home. 

I  heard  Judge  Evans  say  yesterday  that  a  father's  love  for  his  child 
was  gradual  and^not  sudden  and  instinctive  like  the  mother's.  I  am  sure 
it  is  correct ;  my  love  for  Will  is  a  thousand  times  greater  than  it  was 
when  I  first  saw  him.  I  feel  an  affection  for  him  which  I  cannot  feel  for 
our  dear  little  daughter  at  present.  When  she  grows  older  and  can  talk 
and  walk,  I  shall  feel  for  her  the  same  love  which  I  now  have  for  Will. 

General  Whitner  told  me  that  he  understood  I  did  not  leave  Pickens 
in  such  a  hurry  for  nothing,  and  congratulated  me  on  the  increase  of  my 
family. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  business  in  Court,  I  may  get  oif  Friday 
morning. 

Kiss  our  dear  little  children  for  me,  and  tell  Will  he  shall  ride  in  the 
buggy  when  I  get  home  again.  Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Pickens,  Friday  evening. 
My  Dear  Liz : — I  only  have  time  to  inform  you  that  I  shall  not  be 
able  to  return  home  before  I  go  to  Anderson.  You  may  well  suppose  the 
disappointment  it  is  to  me.  How  I  should  like  to  see  you  and  the 
children  ;  but  it  will  hasten  my  return  from  Anderson  Court.  I  have  had 
a  great  deal  of  business  at  this  Court,  more  than  I  ever  had  before.  Mr. 
Young  has  not  come  here,  and  I  have  been  employed  in  all  of  his  and 


112  IvKTTERS   OF   BKNJAMIN   F.    PKRRY 

Burt's  cases.     So  far,  I  have  been  pretty  successful.     Every  case  in  Court 
of  any  importance,  I  am  on  one  side  or  the  other. 

I  hope  you  are  doing  well  and  the  children  all  well.  I  hope  poor 
Anne  is  better  ;  I  really  felt  very  much  shocked  when  I  saw  her  on  Sun- 
day morning. 

My  horse  is  lame  and  almost  worthless  ;  has  got  what  jockeys  call 
the  stiff  disorder,  but  I  will  make  the  seller  pay  back  the  $150  which  I 
gave  for  him. 

Kiss  Will  and  Anna;  Towns  is  starting. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  night,  May,  1841. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  reached  here  this  morning  about  2  o'clock,  covered 
with  dust  and  much  fatigued  by  the  heat  and  journey.  I  overtook  Mrs. 
Thompson  and  Eliza  in  the  stage  this  morning,  and  travelled  some  distance 
with  them.  Mr.  Young,  Colonel  Irby  and  Mr.  Pope  were  also  in  the 
stage.  They  all  drank  of  my  wine  and  eat  of  your  cake  and  gingerbread. 
Mrs.  Thompson  said  something  to  me  about  travelling  with  so  many 
bottles,  and  I  told  her  you  put  them  up  for  me.  She  said  it  was  very 
well  to  give  you  the  credit,  etc.  I  had  no  company  with  me  and  came 
down  all  alone,  until  I  overtook  the  stage.  The  dust  was  horrible  ;  you 
can  form  no  idea  of  it.  They  have  had  no  rain  here  for  many  weeks 
until  this  evening,  a  very  moderate  shower  fell  since  my  arrival  here  and 
has  cooled  the  atmosphere  a  little. 

I  think  it  very  probable  I  shall  have  to  remain  here  till  the  last  of 
next  week,  and  perhaps  then  not  try  any  of  my  cases.  The  business 
before  mine  is  not  half  disposed  of,  and  perhaps  my  visit  here  may  be  all 
for  nothing.  I  will,  however,  attend  to  the  case  in  Sumter  about  Mr. 
Mayrout's  property. 

I  hope  you  and  the  children  are  all  well,  and  that  the  servants  are  all 
in  peace.  I  had  a  visit  from  George  this  evening  ;  he  inquired  very 
affectionately  about  his  wife,  you,  the  children  and  the  servants.  He  is 
very  anxious  to  get  back  to  Greenville. 

I  have  not  yet  seen  any  of  the  Judges  and  not  many  of  the  lawyers, 
and  I  have  nothing  to  write  you  ;  but  to-morrow  I  shall  be  very  busy, 
I  have  a  great  many  commissions  to  execute  for  my  friends  in  Greenville. 
They  stopped  me  from  one  end  of  the  street  to  the  other  as  I  left  on 
Friday  last,  and  pursued  me  to  the  creek  with  commissions.  I  brought 
down  with  me  many  thousand  dollars. 


To  His  Wifk.  113 

I  saw  Colonel  McNeely  this  evening,  from  Charleston,  who  informed 
me  that  Mr.  Cunningham  and  Pamela  came  up  with  him  as  far  as  Branch- 
ville,  and  went  on  to  Hamburgh.  Mr.  Cunningham  sent  his  respects  to 
me  and  said  I  must  mount  the  stump  in  favor  of  Texas.  I  replied  I  was 
opposed  to  it. 

I  have  not  yet  heard  anything  from  the  dinner  to  General  Thompson 
in  this  place. 

I  hope  you  are  electioneering  for  me  with  all  the  country  people  you 
see.  I  am  very  anxious  to  hear  from  you.  I  hope  you  have  written  to 
me.     You  must  write  every  mail  and  tell  me  all  the  family  news,  etc. 

Judge  Barle  is  in  Charleston,  and  his  health  not  improved,  as  I  am 
informed. 

I  must  now  conclude  this  hasty  scroll.  Kiss  the  children  for  me  and 
tell  them  to  kiss  you  for  me.  Yours  truly,  etc., 

B.  F.   Pkrry. 


C01.UMBIA,  S.  C,  Wednesday  evening. 
My  Dear  Liz . — I  have  just  received  and  read  your  letter,  and  the 
Postmaster  told  me  he  would  wait  twenty  minutes  only  before  he  closed 
the  mail,  so  I  must  write  in  a  hurry.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  your  letter 
gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  could  read  one  from  you  every  hour  in  the 
day  and  wish  for  another.  I  am  sorry  you  will  not  write  next  mail.  I 
shall  then  only  receive  one  more  letter  from  you  before  I  return  home.  I 
shall  be  at  home  Wednesday  night.  Colonel  Towns  will  return  Sunday 
night.  We  have  made  considerable  progress  in  our  cases,  and  the  Court 
will  adjourn  the  first  of  next  week.  Several  of  the  lawyers  came  in  after 
their  cases  had  been  called.  Colonel  Irby  got  here  this  evening,  Colonel 
Fair  this  morning,  Mr.  Burt  yesterday,  Colonel  Herndon  also  yesterday. 
Tell  Anne  that  Colonel  Herndon  says  he  now  sleeps  soundly,  and  he  looks 
a  great  deal  better.  Judge  Butler  was  very  humorous  in  his  remarks 
about  Herndon  worrying  and  not  sleeping.  Judge  Butler  inquired  how 
Anne  was,  and  asked  how  many  children  you  had.  He  told  me  Dr. 
Butler  had  been  very  sick  ;  had  bursted  a  blood  vessel  and  was  spitting 
blood,  but  better.    "♦   Tvi-cA^^y  iai^ 

I  am  truly  glad  to  hear  the  children  are  doing  so  well,  and  that  Will 
is  becoming  so  affectionate  and  inquires  after  me.  I  am  also  glad  to  hear 
you  have  found  the  house  key  and  that  the  servants  are  doing  well. 

'     I  do  not  know  yet  the  result  of  any  of  my  cases,  nor  can  I  give  any 
information  on  the  subject. 


114  L^n^BRS  OF  Benjamin  F.  Pkrry 

I  must  conclude  my  letter  or  the  mail  will  be  closed.     I  will  write 
you  a  long  one  by  Colonel  Towns  and  send  you  some  little  packages. 

God  bless  you,  my  dear  wife, 

B.  F.  Pejrry. 


CoivUMBiA,  S.  C,  Monday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz: — I  arrived  here  yesterday  about  three  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  a  good  deal  tired  and  fatigued,  although  we  had  otherwise  a 
pleasant  ride.  There  were  no  person  in  the  stage  till  we  reached  Newbery 
except  Colonel  Towns,  Mr.  Karle  and  myself.  At  Newbery  we  took  in 
General  Caldwell  and  two  others.  We  ate  your  gingerbread  and  praised 
it  a  good  deal,  but  it  gave  out  before  we  reached  Columbia.  The  brandy 
also  gave  out  the  first  day.  We  overtook  the  Pendleton  delegation  and 
they  drank  it  all  at  one  time. 

I  saw  Mr.  Wm.  Ed.  Hayne  last  night  for  a  few  minutes  ;  he  said 
they  were  all  well  and  that  his  chance  of  success  in  the  election  for  Trea- 
surer is  very  good.  I  saw  Colonel  Taylor  also  ;  he  says  Mrs.  Taylor's 
health  is  bad,  but  better  than  it  was  at  Greenville. 

A  great  many  of  the  members  have  not  yet  arrived,  and  I  have  not 
seen  many  of  them.  Colonel  Dawkins,  Colonel  Fair  and  others,  inquired 
very  particularly  after  the  "  wife  and  children." 

I  hope,  my  dear  wife,  you  will  get  on  well  with  the  servants  and 
household  during  my  absence.  I  regret  very  much  having  to  be  so  long 
absent ;  I  would  infinitely  prefer  being  at  home  with  you  and  the  ' '  chil- 
dren." In  fact,  I  am  becoming  unwilling  to  leave  home  at  all.  I  hope 
the  dear  little  daughter,  Annei,  will  grow  finely  in  my  absence,  and  be  quite 
a  plump,  fine  looking  babe  on  my  return.  However,  I  think  she  was  this 
before  I  left.     Tell  Will  he  must  be  a  good  boy  and  behave  himself. 

Have  my  pigs  and  cattle  and  horse  taken  good  care  of.  I  saw  the 
man  from  whom  I  purchased  the  horse  ;  he  says  he  will  do  what  is  right 
about  him  next  Fall,  if  the  horse  continues  lame. 

I  hope  your  mother  and  sisters  will  now  have  a  more  pleasant  time 
than  they  did  ;  give  my  love  to  them. 

I  saw  Dr.  Blonding  last  night,  who  told  me  he  had  been  at  the  Asylum 
where  Powel  McRae  is,  and  that  there  was  a  hope  of  his  recovery  ;  that 
the  mother  had  been  there  trying  to  get  admittance,  but  could  not ;  that 
she  had  had  an  interview  with  Powel's  wife  and  asked  her  for  the  oldest 
daughter,  which  was  given  to  her  with  great  cheerfulness  by  the  wife. 
The  old  lady  said  she  wanted  something  to  love  and  cling  to. 


To  His  Wife.  115 

I  write  you  in  great  haste,  before  breakfast.  It  is  now  raining  ;  I 
cannot  get  on  my  boots  and  have  sent  them  to  be  stretched,  and  shall 
likely  have  to  buy  another  pair. 

You  must  write  every  mail  if  you  can,  and  let  me  hear  all  about  the 
children,  servants,  cattle  and  pigs. 

Kiss  the  children  for  me  and  tell  Will  papa  wishes  him  to  be  a  good 
boy.  Your  affectionate  husband,  etc.,  etc., 

B.  F.  Pe)rry. 


C01.UMBIA,  S.  C,  Wednesday. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  have  but  two  or  three  minutes  to  write  you  in. 
I  hope  to  hear  from  you  this  evening,  and  my  business  may  prevent  my 
writing  to  you  next  mail. 

We  had  quite  a  scene  in  the  House  this  morning.     Colonel  Dudley 

moved  the  impeachment  of  Judge  ,  and  Albert  Rhett  moved  to 

extend  it  to  all  the  Judges  who  were  in  the  habit  of  getting  drunk.     The 
matter  will  come  up  to-morrow  for  discussion. 

Mr.  Roper  informed  me  that  he  has  your  mother's  box  with  him,  and 
will  send  it  down  to  my  room  this  evening.  I  will  send  it  up  by  Colonel 
Towns  and  the  spoons ;  he  will  go  up  next  week.  I  have  got  me 
another  pair  of  spectacles,  very  handsome.  I  have  also  bought  a  magni- 
fying glass  to  stand  on  the  centre  table  and  look  at  pictures,  with  twenty- 
two  engravings,  very  beautiful.  I  have  also  bought  Will  a  pair  of  shoes 
and  will  send  them  also. 

My  boots  hurt  me  so  much  that  I  had  to  buy  another  pair,  which 
hurt  me  very  much  also. 

I  write  you  in  a  great  hurry,  and  have  just  written  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Wells. 

I  wish  to  see  you  and  the  dear  little  children  very  much.  I  think  of 
you  and  dream  of  you.  Kiss  them  for  me  and  talk  to  Will  about  me  lest 
he  forgets  his  papa. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters. 

Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Il6  I^EJTTKRS  OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PKRRY 

Columbia,  Wednesday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz : — After  writing  you  yesterday  morning,  I  met  with 
Major  Hodges,  who  informed  me  that  he  was  going  to-day  to  Greenville, 
and  would  carry  any  little  bundle  which  I  might  have.  I  sent  by  him 
the  glass  to  look  at  pictures  and  the  twenty- two  prints,  which  I  informed 
you  I  had  purchased.  Hodges  will  be  at  Dr.  Chicks'  Friday  evening, 
the  evening  you  receive  this  letter,  and  you  had  better  send  up  for  the 
glass  and  pictures  ;  I  also  put  up  the  telescope  for  Anne.  You  can  take 
the  glass  and  screw  it  together  and  put  it  up  ;  placie  it  on  the  table,  put 
the  print  at  the  foot,  open  the  glass  so  you  can  look  through  one  into  the 
other  and  see  the  picture  ;  you  will  see  the  images  as  large  as  life  ;  be 
careful  or  you  may  break  it.  The  telescope  is  a  pretty  thing,  you  look 
through  one  end  and  see  the  pebbles' magnified  and  roll  about. 

We  had  quite  a  novel  scene  in  the  House  yesterday.     John  L.  Wilson 

sent  to  the  Speaker  articles  of  impeaehmeht  against  Judge  ,  for 

oppression  in  Court  and  habitual  drunkenness.     The  paper  was  read  and 

the  reply  of  Judge to  Wilson.     The; House  determined  without  a 

dissenting  vote  to  lay  the  articles  of  impeachment  on  the  table  and  not  act 
on  them.     I  was  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  in  the  morning,  and  Judge 

came  to  me  and  informed  me  that  Wilson's  communication  would 

be  read  in  the  House,  and  he  wished  me  to  be  there.    Had  it  not  been  for 
this  information  I  should  have  been  absent. 

Mr.  McBee's  cases  have  not  been  decided  yet,  nor  Cauble  and 

.  Yesterday  the  Court  delivered  opinions  in  all  the  other  cases 
tried  but  them.  I  suppose  from  this  they  have  some  difficulty  in  deciding 
the  cases.  To-day  we  argue  McBee  and  Henning's  case,  brought  by 
Colonel  Cox  and  others. 

We  have  also  a  grand  military  parade  to-day  and  a  great  number  of 
officers  present ;  it  will  be  a  day  of  great  confusion.  They  are  to  have  a 
sham  battle  and  fight  over  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens  ;  one  portion  of  the 
troops  to  represent  the  British  and  the  other  the  Americans. 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  this  evening ;  if  I  do  not  I  shall  be  very 
uneasy  and  wretched.  Do  write  me  every  mail  if  it  is  but  one  line,  I  will 
then  know  you  are  all  well.     I  must  go  to  breakfast. 

•,      ,  B.  F.  Perry. 


THB 


To  His  Wifk.  117 

Columbia,  Friday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  received  from  you  by  the  last  mail  two  letters,  one 
of  which  I  ought  to  have  received  the  mail  before.  I  had  on  my  mind, 
somehow  or  other,  an  apprehension  that  you  were  not  well,  and  this 
apprehension  has  been  painfully  realized.  Both  of  your  letters  were 
written  in  bed,  and  whilst  I  value  them  much  more  on  that  account,  it 
distresses  me  very  much  to  think  you  are  suffering  with  pain.  I  hope 
you  will  soon  be  well,  for  you  suffered  so  much  in  the  same  way  before. 
It  is  dreadful,  indeed,  that  you  must  every  time  suffer  so  intensely.  I  do 
most  sincerely  pray  that  the  remedies  may  be  successful.  I  look  forward 
to-night  with  great  anxiety  when  the  mail  will  bring  me  another  letter 
from  you,  or  your  mother,  if  you  are  in  too  much  pain  to  write.  I^ast 
mail  when  I  received  your  letters,  I  was  first  informed  that  there  were  no 
letters  for  me  ;  I  turned  off  in  great  agony,  and  as  I  was  going  to  my 
room  met  the  barkeeper  wdth  twelve  letters  for  me  and  two  from  you.  My 
heart  felt  light  for  the  moment,  but  its  heaviness  returned  on  reading 
of  your  painful  condition. 

I  am  indeed  sorry  that  my  intimation  of  leaving  public  life  distresses 
you.  You  must  be  certain  that  I  know  more  about  these  matters  than 
you  do,  and  that  I  would  take  no  step  unless  it  was  for  the  better.  A 
seat  in  the  I^egislature  interferes  very  much  with  my  practice  in  the  Court 
of  Appeals  ;  it  is  impossible  to  attend  to  both.  My  attention  is  too  much 
divided  to  do  justice  to  either  place.  At  home  I  must  be  constantly  elec- 
tioneering and  neglecting  my  profession  to  keep  up  my  popularity  and 
vindicate  my  course  in  the  lyCgislature.  My  business  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals  will  necessarily  bring  me  to  Columbia  twice  in  the  year,  when  I 
shall  see  persons  from  all  parts  of  the  State  and  keep  up  my  acquaintance. 
Talent  is  shown  as  well  in  conversation  and  in  the  ordinary  intercourse 
between  gentlemen  as  in  the  I^egislature,  and  I  am  sure  it  is  more  highly 
appreciated  in  the  former  way.  I  have  read  too  much,  and  am  endowed 
by  nature  with  too  much  mind  (I  hope)  ever  to  fall  into  insignificance  or 
obscurity.  My  speeches  and  publications  made  on  suitable  occasions  will 
forbid  it. 

We  have  had  a  great  military  show  here  for  two  days  past,  some 
forty  or  fifty  Generals  and  Aids-de-camp  in  full  uniform,  marching  and 
strutting  through  the  streets  ;  five  or  six  hundred  cavalry  well  mounted, 
and  one  thousand  infantry,  with  two  or  three  thousand  spectators.  Last 
night  there  was  a  grand  military  ball  at  the  Governor's  ;  I  was  invited 
but  did  not  go.  The  night  before  I  was  invited  to  a  party  at  Mr.  Clark's, 
but  did  not  attend. 


ii8  Lktters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  shall  be  at  home  on  Sunday  night  week,  a  week  from  the  night  you 
receive  this  letter.  I  have  sent  my  books  by  a  wagon  to  Mr.  Billing's 
nei^borhood  by  Mr.  I^attimore. 

.  Mr.  Wm.  Ed.  Hayne  appears  quite  serious  ;  I  see  him  every  two  or 
three  days.  Colonel  Martin  is  quite  jovial  ;  he,  Burt,  Judge  Huger, 
Wise  and  myself  have  a  table  to  ourselves  at  which  we  always  sit  and 
talk.  Judge  Huger  is  a  most  pleasant  companion,  and  the  more  I  see 
him  the  better  I  like  him.  I  like  Burt,  too,  very  much  and  we  are  par- 
ticularly intimate  and  much  together. 

I  must  now  conclude  to  go  to  breakfast.  Kiss  the  children  and  give 
my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters.  I  hope  the  servants  are  doing  well^ 
Write  me  all  about  them  and  the  pigs,  etc.,  etc. 

Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Your  letter  in  pencil  was  received  this  evening,  and 
it  gives  me  great  pain  to  hear  that  you  are  still  confined  to  your  bed.  I 
was  in  hopes  from  your  last  letter  that  the  prescription  of  Mrs.  Butler 
had  relieved  you.  It  must,  indeed,  be  most  painful  and  harassing  to  you, 
ten  days  in  bed.  I  think  it  probable  that  I  will  be  at  home  in  the  next 
stage.  I  can  neither  enjoy  myself  here  nor  be  fit  for  business.  I  shall 
have  got  through  with  all  my  business  as  Chairman  of  Claims  by  Thurs- 
day morning,  and  all  the  bills  I  take  any  interest  in  will  have  been  acted 
on,  so  that  I  can  leave  here  very  well.  The  business  of  the  vSession  will 
be  over,. and  to  stay  two  days  longer  will  be  a  matter  of  hardship  which 
I  cannot  endure.  I  wish  to  be  at  home  with  you  and  see  you  and 
administer  to  your  comfort  while  sick. 

The  little  matters  spoken  of  in  your  letter  shall  be  purchased  if  I  can 
find  them.  It  gives  me  the  greatest  pleasure  to  gratify  all  your  wishes 
and  desires. 

We  are  working  very  hard  in  the  Legislature.  Yesterday  the  House 
met  at  lo  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  we  sat  there  till  5  o'clock  in  the  eve- 
ning without  leaving  our  seats  scarcely  ;  we  then  went  to  the  taveni  and 
eat  dinner  and  came  back  half  after  six  at  night,  and  sat  till  two  o'clock 
this  morning  without  leaving  the  House.  This  makes  about  fourteen 
hours  we  sat  in  one  day.  I  feel  bad  to-day  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of 
sleep,  etc.  We  were  engaged  in  passing  the  Military  Bill,  and  the  Gov- 
ernor sent  for  me  and  requested  me  to  take  it  under  my  charge  and  get 
the  House  to  adopt  it.     The  opponents  of  the  bill  made  the  most  violent 


To  His  Wifk.  119 

opposition  to  it,  and  tried  every  way  to  delay  and  hinder  us  and  fatigue 
us  out  ;  but  I  gave  them  notice  that  we  intended  to  stay  till  sunrise  Sun- 
day morning  or  pass  the  bill  ;  that  we  could  stay  as  long  as  they  could, 
and  we  did  and  passed  the  bill. 

We  had  a  considerable  discussion  yesterday  on  the  Bank  question, 
and  the  gallery  was  filled  with  ladies.  I  made  a  speech  in  reply  to  Rhett, 
which  Colonel  Hunt  coanplimented  very  highly,  although  opposed  to  me 
on  that  question.  He  spoke  in  reply  to  me,  said  I  had  taken  the  words 
out  of  his  mouth  and  expressed  his  own  sentiments,  but  in  much  better 
language  than  he  was  able  to  do  ;  that  it  was  the  very  speech  he  was 
going  to  have  made,  and  yet  he  differed  with  me  in  my  conclusions,  etc. 

I  hope  you  have  received  the  glass,  etc.,  sent  by  Mr.  Hodges,  and 
that  it  was  not  injured. 

Monday  morning. 

I  have  just  been  out  and  had  put  up  a  box  of  oranges,  two  dozen  ; 
pine  apples;  two  pounds  of  Malaga  grapes,  bananas,  box  of  kisses,  etc., 
which  will  be  sent  you  by  the  stage.  You  had  better  send  up  to  the  stage 
office  and  get  them.  I  thought  you  would  like  to  have  them  before  I  got 
home,  the  sooner  the  better. 

Nothing  further.  Your  letter  Wednesday  will  determine  whether  I 
return  Friday  or  Sunday.     In  haste. 

Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Friday  evening. 

Dear  Liz : — I  have  but  a  few  minutes  to  write  you  in  again.  Carroll 
has  beaten  Mr.  Hayne  for  Treasurer  by  twenty  votes.  Carroll  made  great 
exertions.     I  have  not  seen  him  since. 

I  have  been  getting  a  tooth  made  to-day  and  will  have  it  put  in 
shortly.  I  have  bought  a  good  many  books  at  Dr.  Cooper's  sale.  I  will 
send  some  of  them  by  Colonel  Towns. 

Judge is  very  much  distressed  about  Rhett' s  resolution.     It  is 

thought  Judge  — -  will  resign.     The  whole  matter  stands  over  until 

next  week. 

I  have  nothing  to  write  you  of  interest.  I  hope  to  get  a  letter  from 
you  this  evening,  as  I  am  anxious  to  hear  how  you  are  getting  on  and  to 
hear  from  the  children. 

I  will  write  you  a  long  letter  on  Sunday,  as  that  is  a  leisure  day. 
None  of  my  cases  have  been  tried  yet. 

Yours  truly,  my  dear  Liz, 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


I20  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  Sunday. 

My  Dear  Liz : — We  have  a  considerable  snow  this  morning  and  the 
streets  are  very  sloppy.  I  hope  you  do  not,  therefore,  think  it  wrong  in 
me  to  write  you  a  letter  instead  of  going  to  church.  It  is,  indeed,  a  most 
uncomfortable  day,  but  notwithstanding,  I  walked  over  to  the  Law 
Library  to  hunt  up  some  law  in  McBee's  cases  which  will  be  tried  this 
week.  This,  you  know,  is  the  work  of  necessity,  and  therefore  may  be 
done  on  the  Sabbath. 

Your  letter  of  Wednesday  morning  was  received  Friday  evening  and 
gave  me  great  pleasure.  I  went  to  the  post  office  with  Mr.  James  Rhett, 
and  was  told  there  were  no  letters  for  me.  I  replied  to  the  Postmaster 
that  he  was  mistaken  and  there  must  be  a  letter  for  me.  He  looked  again 
and  found  yours.  Rhett  observed  "from  your  wife;  I  thought  you 
spoke  very  positively  ;  mine  has  not  written  me  yet. ' '  Whilst  on  this 
subject  let  me  tell  you  a  joke  Judge  Huger  had  on  me  one  morning  at  the 
breakfast  table.  I  had  told  him  what  you  said  about  my  going  to  see  the 
pigs  one  day  before  I  went  to  see  you.  Colonel  Fair  that  morning  had 
told  him  that  he  tried  to  get  me  to  go  with  him  and  eat  oysters,  etc. ,  one 
evening  at  the  book  auction,  and  I  would  not  leave  the  books.  Judge 
Huger  said  in  a  good-natured  way  that  if  I  "  went  to  see  my  pigs  before  I 
did  my  wife,  I  would  not  leave  my  books  for  my  friends."  Knowing  so 
well  as  he  does  my  devotion  to  you,  he  took  great  pleasure  in  "joking  " 
me  on  the  subject.  Judge  Huger,  Burt  and  myself  have  got  together 
again  at  table  and  always  sit  together. 

I  saw  your  Cousin  Alston  Hayne  the  other  night.  He  called  to  see 
me  and  I  introduced  him  to  Judge  Huger  who  was  sitting  with  me.  He 
spent  a  half-hour  with  us.  Judge  Huger  saw  him  at  the  north  this  Sum- 
mer, and  said  after  he  left  us  that  he  was  "  a  clever  and  promising 
youth."  I  think  so  too.  He  will  do  credit  to  the  name  of  his  father. 
He  told  me  that  his  mother  was  in  better  health.  Arthur  has  gone  to 
Charleston  to  study  medicine. 

There  is  great  difficulty  in  getting  a  President  of  the  College.  Mr. 
Poinsett,  Judge  Huger,  Colonel  Preston  have  all  been  applied  to,  and 
strange  to  say.  Colonel  Memminger  came  to  me  last  night  to  know  if  I 
would  accept  the  Presidency  of  the  College.  I  could  hardly  understand 
him  at  first ;  that  I,  who  had  never  been  in  college,  should  be  thought  of 
as  the  President  of  the  first  literary  institution  in  the  Southern  States,  was 
passing  strange  ;  but  they  say  their  object  is  more  to  get  a  man  of  high 
character  than  a  literary  man.  I  told  Memminger  that  nothing  could 
induce  me  to  accept  the  station. 


To  His  Wifk.  121 

It  is  said  Judge  Gantt  will  resign  to-morrow,  and  if  so,  Wardlaw  will 
be  elected  immediately  to  fill  his  place.  Who  will  take  Wardlaw' s  place 
as  Speaker  is  doubtful ;  a  dozen  members  have  been  spoken  of.  I  shall 
go  for  Memminger,  and  next  to  him  Colcock. 

Two  of  our  Judges  are  in  great  trouble,  but  it  will  all  amount  to 
nothing.  They  are  considered  two  of  the  best  Judges  in  the  State,  and 
we  are  not  disposed  to  dismiss  them. 

I  am  truly  glad  you  are  getting  on  well  with  the  servants  and  house- 
hold. I  wish  to  be  with  you  and  the  children.  We  have  done  but  little 
in  the  Legislature  yet.  Yesterday  there  was  some  discussion  on  the  Trial 
of  Slaves,  in  which  I  took  a  part,  and  was  thanked  for  my  course  both  by 
Colonel  Hunt  and  Albert  Rhett. 

I  will  purchase  the  table  covers  for  you  and  the  books  if  I  can  find 
them.  I  have  purchased  more  than  one  hundred  volumes  of  Dr.  Cooper's 
library.  I  got  the  books  for  very  little  ;  one  book  was  priced  $20,00,  and 
I  purchased  it  at  auction  for  62)^  cents  ;  many  others  in  the  same  way. 
I  have  had  several  presents  made  of  books  since  I  have  been  here.  The 
State  Reporter,  McMullin,  made  me  a  present  of  his  Reports  as  soon  as 
they  were  published,  but  unfortunately  I  had  just  purchased  a  copy  and 
paid  the  bookseller  $5.00  for  it.  I  now  have  two  copies,  but  Colonel 
Towns  says  he  will  take  one  copy  and  pay  me  for  it.  Dr.  Myers  made 
me  a  present  of  "  Lord  Bacon's  Letters."  I  must  conclude.  Give  my 
love  to  all  and  kiss  the  children  Will  and  Anne, 

Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Wednesday. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Your  kind  letter  on  Sunday  last  was  received  after  I 
had  sealed  my  letter  to  you.  It  gave  me  great  pleasure,  and  I  am  sorry 
that  my  time  has  been  so  much  occupied  in  Court  and  in  the  Legislature 
that  I  can  barely  write  you  a  few  lines  this  evening  in  reply. 

Judge  Gantt  has  resigned,  Mr.  Wardlaw  has  been  elected  Judge,  and 
Colonel  Colcock,  Speaker  ;  he  beat  Major  Henry  a  long  ways. 

I  have  argued  all  my  cases  but  two,  but  do  not  know  how  they  will 
be  decided. 

I  have  had  the  tooth  put  in  this  morning  and  my  mouth  feels  like  it 
was  full  of  mush.     It  has  bothered  me  a  great  deal. 

Judge  Earle  is  unwell  and  not  able  to  be  in  Court  to-day. 

I  have  got  Colonel  Ware  to  write  for  the  Mountaineer,  and  will  now 
have  more  time  to  write  you. 


122  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Colonel  Towns  will  return  home  Sunday  night  and  I  will  send  by 
him  the  spoons  and  table  covers,  and  some  other  matters.  Tell  Anne  I 
have  bought  for  her  a  present,  a  beautiful  telescope.  I  have  not  made 
many  purchases.  .  ceJj.cAsAo>i^ 

I  must  now  stop  or  I  shall  not  get  this  letter  in  the  mail.  Kiss  the 
children  and  give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters.     In  great  haste. 

Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


CoiyUMBiA,  Friday  morning. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Your  letter  wTitten  last  Monday  was  received  Wed- 
nesday night,  and  it  gave  me  great  pleasure  as  do  all  of  your  letters.  I 
long  to  be  at  home  again  with  you  and  Will  and  little  Annev  Home  to 
me  has  more  attractions  than  any  other  place,  and  more  pleasures  and 
happiness.  I  could  spend  every  day  and  hour  of  my  life  at  home  without 
a  wish  or  inclination  to  go  anywhere.  I  am  tired  too  of  legislation,  it  is 
hard  work  and  I  do  not  take  the  same  interest  in  it  that  I  used  to  do.  I 
do  not  expect  to  be  a  candidate  again.  My  time,  however,  passes  here  as 
pleasantly  as  I  could  expect.  There  are  a  good  many  gentlemen  with 
whom  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  associate. 

I  have  bought  you  a  pair  of  table  covers,  the  most  beautiful  things 
of  the  kind  you  ever  saw,  but  the  price  was  $10.00.  The}^  will  last 
always,  wash  well,  not  show  stains  and  be  cheaper  in  the  end  ;  so  says 
the  merchant.  You  must  not  scold  me  for  my  extravagance,  as  it  was  my 
love  for  you  and  a  wish  to  gratify  your  fancy  and  orders.  I  will  send 
the  covers,  Will's  shoes  and  your  mother's  bundle  from  Mr.  Rosser  by 
Colonel  Towns,  who  goes  up  Saturday  morning  ;  the  spoons  also,  if 
finished.  VJofoji. 

I  do  not  know  how  I  am  to  get  my  books  home,  I  have  got  quite  a 
load  of  them. 

I  was  invited  to  the  Governor's  levee  the  other  night,  but  did  not  go. 
I  understand  there  was  a  great  crowd. 

I  saw  Mrs.  Albert  Rhett  yesterday  in  the  gallery.  I  could  hardly 
believe  my  eyes  ;  it  seemed  impossible  that  that  faded,  old  lady,  was  the 
beautiful  girl  I  knew  some  thirteen  years  since.  What  changes  time  will 
make.  Rhett  went  up  into  the  gallery  and  sat  with  her  and  seemed  quite 
attentive. 

To-day  I  have  to  attend  the  Court  of  Appeals,  and  will  be  engaged 
there  all  day.     There  is,  too,  an  important  bill  before  the  House,  and 


To  His  Wifk.  123 

Colonel  Hunt  has  urged  me  mOvSt  strongly  to  come  and  make  a  speech  in 
favor  of  it.  He  told  me  that  we  could  carry  any  just  measure  in  that 
House,  which  is  rather  a  compliment  to  both  of  us  and  the  House  into  the 
bargain. 

Friday  evening. 

It  is  now  past  five  o'clock  and  the  Greenville  stage  has  not  got  in  yet. 
I  kept  my  letter  open  expecting  to  hear  from  you  before  I  close  it,  but 
shall  not.  I  have  now  got  through  all  my  law  cases  except  one.  When 
T  gave  the  Judges  your  brief  of  Cauble  and  Loveland,  Judge  O'Neill 
remarked  :  *'  It  is  in  a  beautiful  hand."  I  think  I  shall  gain  that  case, 
and  it  is  an  important  one.  I  am  not  so  sure,  but  hope  I  may  also  succeed 
in  getting  some  of  McBee's  cases  back  again. 

We  have  had  dreadful  weather  here  for  several  days — snow,  rain  and 
mud,  etc.  I  have  just  been  through  the  mud  to  get  your  spoons,  but  was 
disappointed  in  getting  the  smaller  ones  and  the  sugar  tongs. 

Judge  Earle  has  been  sick,  but  is  now  well  and  was  sitting  in  Court 
to-day.  Judge  Wardlaw  has  not  yet  taken  his  vSeat  on  the  bench.  Mr. 
Samuel  Earle  appears  uneasy  and  discontented,  and  has  been  all  the  ses- 
sion ;  he  spoke  of  asking  leave  of  absence. 

My  tooth  does  better  as  I  become  more  accustomed  to  it.  With  new 
spectacles  and  a  new  tooth,  you  may  expect  to  see  great  improvement. 

Give  my  love  to  all.  I  do  not  think  the  Legislature  will  adjourn 
before  the  i8th.  Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Tuesday  morning. 
My  Dear  Liz  : — I  have  not  heard  from  you  for  two  mails.  What  has 
happened  ?  I  feel  very  uneasy,  and  am  afraid  some  of  you  are  sick  and 
that  you  will  not  write  for  fear  of  my  returning  home.  When  the  mail 
came  in  Sunday  evening,  I  was  confident  of  receiving  letters  and  made 
Colonel  Maybin  go  back  to  the  post  office  after  night  and  search  for 
letters.  In  the  morning  I  went  myself.  The  Postmaster  informed  me 
that  no  letters  at  all  were  received  by  that  mail  from  Greenville.  This 
relieved  me  a  little,  for  I  thought  you  had  written  and  the  package  had 
miscarried  or  been  put  into  the  wrong  mail.  If  I  do  not  hear  from  you 
to-morrow  evening,  I  shall  be  disposed  to  return  to  Greenville  and  see 
what  is  the  matter.  Adam  Hall  informed  me  yesterday  that  he  saw  John 
McBeth  Wednesday,  and  you  were  all  well  then  ;  but  I  received  a  letter 
from  you  on  Monday  preceding. 


124  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  was  also  mortified  yesterday  in  not  having  an  opportunity  of  writing 
to  you  by  last  night's  mail.  I  did  not  write  on  Sunday,  as  I  expected  to 
hear  from  you  that  night  and  thought  I  would  wait  and  answer  your 
letter.  Monday  morning  we  had  to  go  to  the  Commencement  in  College, 
and  I  intended  to  write  after  the  House  adjourned,  but  we  sat  till  after 
the  mail  closed. 

There  was  quite  a  display  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  at  the  Commence- 
ment. I  visited  the  library  in  college  and  amused  myself  in  looking  over 
the  books.  They  have  a  splendid  building,  but  the  collection  of  books  is 
not  very  extensive.  I  have  purchased  so  many  books  that  I  am  afraid  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  get  them  home.  I  have  my  trunk  full  and  a  box 
twice  as  large  full — some  very  valuable  works.  In  all,  I  suppose  one 
hundred  and  fifty  volumes — reading  enough  for  the  next  year. 

I  wish  you  would  make  George  hang  up  the  meat,  as  it  may  be  hurt  if 
kept  too  long  in  pickle.  I  forgot  to  give  directions  about  it  when  I  left 
home.  I  wish,  also,  you  would  tell  George  to  notice  the  buggy  and  see 
if  the  wheels  are  on  plank  or  blocks  to  protect  them  from  the  ground, 
otherwise  they  may  rot.  Let  me  know  whether  Colonel  Cox  has  hauled 
the  com. 

The  Legislature  will  adjourn  on  the  17th  next,  Friday  week,  and  I 
long  for  the  day  to  arrive.  I  shall  be  at  home  next  Sunday  week  and 
have  the  unspeakable  pleasure  of  clasping  in  my  arms  my  dear  Liz  and 
the  children.  How  I  should  like  to  see  you  this  morning,  you  superin- 
tending your  household  affairs.  Will  playing  over  the  room  and  the  little 
girl  sleeping  in  the  innocence  of  her  nature.  I  hope  she  has  grown  con- 
siderably. Since  her  birth  I  have  been  absent  so  much  that  she  is  almost 
unknown  to  me.     I  can  hardly  recall  to  my  mind  her  features. 

To-day  I  have  to  attend  Court  and  argue  the  case  of  McBee  and 
Henning  for  Mr.  Cox.  I  shall  also  hear  the  decisions  in  the  other  cases, 
and  as  it  is  nearly  time  to  go  into  Court  I  must  conclude. 

Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters  and  kiss  the  children  for  me, 
my  dear  wife.  Your  affectionate  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


To  His  Wifk.  125 

PKNDI.KTON  ViivLAGK,  Sunday,  11  o'clock. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  have  just  got  here  on  my  way  to  Anderson,  and 
will  write  you  a  line  before  the  stage  arrives. 

I  have  done  a  fine  business  at  Pickens  Court,  received  more  than  two 
hundred  dollars  in  cash,  and  made  more  than  that  amount  which  I  have 
not  received.  I  hope  you  will  write  me  to-morrow.  I  am  anxious  to 
hear  from  you  and  the  children  and  your  mother's  family  and  how  you 
are  all  doing.  I  may  not  be  at  home  till  the  last  of  the  week  ;  this  will 
depend  on  my  business  at  Anderson.  I  will  write  you  again  at  Ander- 
son if  I  am  detained  all  the  week. 

I  must  be  in  great  haste  as  you  may  perceive  by  the  letter.  Judge 
Earle  is  much  better.  Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Anderson  C.  H.,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — Colonel  Towns  returns  in  the  morning,  and  I  will 
write  you  a  few  lines  before  I  go  to  bed. 

I  was  very  much  gratified  to  receive  your  letter  and  thank  you  kindly 
for  it.  I  was  truly  glad  to  hear  you  were  all  well  and  doing  well.  When 
absent  from  home  I  am  always  uneasy  for  fear  that  you  may  have  an  un- 
due portion  of  trouble  and  care  in  the  management  of  the  children  and 
household.  The  dear  little  creatures,  how  I  should  like  to  see  them. 
Being  away  from  them  increases  my  affection  for  them. 

I  hope  to  be  at  home  on  Thursday  night.  It  is  possible,  however, 
that  I  may  be  detained  till  Friday  night.  There  is  not  much  business 
here,  and  I  have  not  done  so  well  as  I  did  at  Pickens  ;  that,  however,  was 
not  to  be  expected.  I  have  though  received  about  seventy  dollars  in  cash 
since  I  came  here  of  my  own  costs  and  fees.  If  my  business  throughout 
the  circuit  continues  as  it  has  commenced,  I  shall  do  well.  My  hundred 
cases  will  be  obtained. 

I  see  by  your  letter  there  has  been  no  increase  in  my  family  in  the 
way  of  pigs  and  calves.  I  hope  there  is  by  this  time,  and  that  Nancy  will 
have  a  numerous  progeny  to  greet  me  on  my  arrival.  I  hardly  expect  so 
much  from  Victoria. 

Your  house  is  all  to  rights  by  this  time.  I  am  glad  you  avail  your- 
self of  my  absence  to  whitewash  and  cleanse  it.  I  do  not  like  such  busi- 
ness at  all,  at  all. 

I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  of  poor  Gilbert's  death  and  friend  Blassen- 
gam's  loss.  Blassengam  has  been  truly  unfortunate.  It  is  well  your 
mother  did  not  purchase  Gilbert, 


126  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

I  was  in  hopes  to  have  heard  of  Anne's  being  better  ;  she  has,  indeed, 
suffered  a  great  deal,  and  my  greatest  astonishment  is  that  she  can  endure 
and  survive  it. 

I  saw  my  brother  Foster  at  Pickens  Court ;  he  w^as  on  the  jury  and 
had  to  stay  all  the  week.  His  wife  has  another  son.  Josiah  and  Melissa 
are  quite  well.     Father  and  mother  are  in  tolerable  health. 

Judge  Earle  is  not  so  well  again ;  his  voice  became  so  weak  and 
hoarse  to-day  in  Court  that  he  had  to  adjourn  early  in  the  evening.  I 
hope  he  will  be  better  in  the  morning. 

After  writing  you  last  Sunday  a  few  lines  at  Pendleton  Village,  I 
went  to  the  Episcopal  Church  in  company  with  Foster,  and  heard  a  ser- 
mon from  Mr.  Potter.  It  was  Communion  Sunday,  and  I  left  the  church 
without  speaking  to  Mr.  Potter  or  any  one  else.  There  were  a  good  many 
persons  present.  Colonel  Huger  and  family  and  his  son  and  his  bride, 
formerly  Miss  Chevas.  I  sat  in  a  pew  just  in  front  of  Mrs.  Stephens  and 
near  Mr.  Potter. 

Mrs.  Hubbard  inquired  after  your  health  with  some  interest,  and  Mr. 
Hubbard  wished  to  know  if  we  had  had  any  more  events  in  our  family 
since  we  were  in  Pendleton.  Mrs.  Hubbard  is  really  a  very  nice  genteel 
woman  and  seems  kind  and  amiable. 

My  horse  is  bad  off ;  he  may  make  out  to  get  home  and  it  will  be  as 
much.  Poor  Gray  has  rendered  but  little  service,  and  our  rides  in  the 
buggy  will  be  suspended  till  I  get  another  horse. 

I  am  afraid  you  will  be  scarce  of  money  before  I  return.  It  is  very 
well  I  left  you  the  bill  I  did  ;  but  if  you  should  get  out  of  funds  I  suppose 
your  credit  is  good. 

There  was  a  woman  indicted  to-day  for  murdering  her  own  child,  a 
bastard  ;  but  the  Grand  Jury  found  no  bill.  There  was  another  fellow 
indicted  for  attempting  to  blow  up  the  house  in  which  two  of  his  wife's 
aunts  lived,  so  that  he  might  kill  them  and  get  their  property. 

I  have  been  reading  '''  Walker  on  Female  Beauty. "  It  is  an  interest- 
ing work  and  similar  in  many  respects  to  his  works  on  '  *  Intermarriage  ' ' 
and  "Woman." 

My  dear  Liz,  I  wish  to  see  you  very  much.  It  seems  a  long  time 
since  I  was  at  homo.  Kiss  the  dear  little  children  for  me.  I  hope  Will 
will  be  glad  to  see  me  and  greet  me  at  the  door. 

It  is  now  late  in  the  night  and  I  must  bid  you  good-night.  I  have 
written  you  a  long  letter  and  I  have  written  it  without  thought  or  reflec- 
tion. Yours  truly  and  affectionately, 

B;  F,  Perry. 


l^o  His  Wife.  127 

Spartanburgh  C.H.  ,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  will  write  yo\x  a  few  lines.  Some  one  will  be  going 
to  Greenville  in  the  morning  by  whom  I  can  send  you  a  letter,  but  I  have 
little  or  nothing  to  say  to  you.  I  am  sure,  however,  that  a  letter  will 
give  you  some  interest  although  it  contains  nothing. 

We  stopped  at  Dantzeller's  on  Sunday,  Judge  Butler,  General  Whitner 
and  myself;  no  one  else.  The  bottle  of  wine  was  drank  between  Judge 
Butler  and  myself  during  dinner.  He  praised  it  very  much,  said  it  was 
delicious  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  I  have  no  doubt  General  Whitner  was 
sorry  his  hands  were  tied  by  the  temperance  pledge.  Your  pound-cake 
was  regarded  as  being  too  rich  to  eat.  General  Whitner  tasted  it,  and  I 
gave  the  whole  of  it  to  Mrs.  Dantzeller,  who  thanked  me  very  kindly  for 
it.  Judge  Butler  said  he  intended  to  have  called  to  see  you  during  Court, 
but  had  not  time. 

I  had  the  old  man  Davis  turned  out  of  jail.  I  have  only  two  cases 
now  to  detain  me  here  ;  one  of  them  will  be  tried  Thursday,  and  the 
other  will  probably  be  postponed.     I  shall  be  at  home  Friday. 

I  have  made  a  purchase  for  Frank.  It  is  a  beautiful  rattle,  costing 
twenty  cents,  something  cheaper  than  the  one  I  spoke  of  buying  in 
Columbia  for  Will  some  years  since.  I  have  also  bought  a  medal  the 
size  of  a  dollar  for  Will  or  Anna,  price  twenty  cents.  There  is  an  itiner- 
ant jeweller  here  selling  articles  in  his  line  very  cheap. 

I  delivered  Delia's  presents  to  her  mother,  and  she  seemed  very  much 
pleased  with  them  and  speaks  of  going  to  see  Delia  next  Christmas.  I 
think  it  more  than  probable  that  all  of  Walker's  property  will  have  to 
be  sold  in  a  short  time.  Some  one  told  me  that  his  tavern  and  all  his  fur- 
niture was  already  advertised  for  sale. 

I  hope  you  and  the  children  are  all  well  and  doing  well.  I  wish  to 
see  you  very  much.  It  seems  I  am  to  be  constantly  from  home.  I  shall 
not  be  able  to  stay  at  home  more  than  five  or  six  days  before  I  start  to 
Columbia. 

Kiss  the  children  for  me.  Good-night.  I  saw  Dr.  Irvin  this  evening, 
who  told  me  all  w^ere  well  in  Greenville  this  morning.  It  is  a  great 
pleasure  to  hear  from  home. 

Yours  truly  and  sincerely, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


148  IvKTTERS  OF  BknJAMIN  F.   PeRRY 

Spartanburgh,  Wednesda}^  night. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  shall  be  disappointed  in  returning  home  to-morrow 
as  I  expected  to  do.  The  old  man,  Davis,  whom  I  defended  for  murder, 
is  to  be  tried  again  in  the  morning.  He  was  tried  Tuesday  and  found 
guilty,  but  recommended  by  the  jury  to  be  pardoned.  The  speech  I  made 
in  his  defence  has  been  well  spoken  of  by  the  crowd.  I  wish  I  ma}^  be  as 
successful  in  the  morning. 

The  Court  will  not  get  half  through  the  business.  I  have  been 
engaged  in  one  important  case  to  assist  Mr.  Leitner  and  General  Whitner, 
but  the  case  will  not  likel}^  come  on  this  week. 

I  took  tea  this  evening  with  Mr.  Bobo,  and  saw  his  wife  for  the  first 
time.  She  is  a  sensible  and  interesting  lady.  They  have  their  house 
handsomely  fitted  up  with  Harley's  furniture.  I  saw  on  Monday  evening 
Mrs.  Nicoll  (formerly  Miss  Crook).  I  went  to  the  jail  to  see  a  prisoner 
and  met  her  ladyship.  The  Major  also  invited  me  to  pay  them  a  visit 
before  I  left. 

I  shall  be  at  home  on  Friday  or  Saturday.  Kiss  the  children  for  me, 
and  believe  me  yours,  etc.,  B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  arrived  here  late  this  evening  and  am  very  much 
fatigued,  having  driven  to-day  forty-five  miles  over  a  rough  road  ;  but 
notwithstanding  my  fatigue,  I  will  write  you  a  few  lines  to-night  for  fear 
I  may  not  have  time  to  do  so  in  the  morning.  I  should  not  have  time  to 
write  after  Court  adjourned  to-morrow  evening  before  the  mail  closes  for 
Greenville. 

I  have  had  fine  weather  for  travelling  since  I  left  home.  The  first 
night  I  staid  at  Goldsmith's,  and  considerable  rain  fell  during  the  night, 
but  next  day  there  was  no  rain.  I  reached  Mr.  Cunningham's  Friday 
evening,  just  before  night.  Mrs.  Cunningham  had  not  returned  from 
Hamburgh.  Miss  Pamela  was  quite  unwell,  had  not  been  out  of  her 
room  for  several  days  and  had  to  be  brought  down  stairs  in  the  arms  of  a 
servant.  She  walked  with  great  difficulty  even  in  the  drawing  room. 
There  was  a  Miss  McDowell  staying  with  her,  in  the  capacity  somewhat, 
of  friend  and  nurse,  during  Mrs.  Cunningham's  absence. 

The  grounds,  garden,  fences  and  general  appearance  of  Mr.  Cun- 
ningham's residence  are  very  much  improved,  and  are  indeed  very  hand- 
some. I  have  never  seen  any  more  beautiful.  Their  drawing  room  is 
truly  magnificent  ;  very  much  improved  since  you  saw  it  by  a  beautiful 
and  costly  carpet,  four  immense  mirrors,  chairs,  ottomans,  etc. 


To  His  Wifk.  129 

Mr.  Cunningham  said  he  saw  so  little  company  (not  even  his  own 
family,  except  at  meal  times),  that  he  had  almost  forgotten  how  to  keep 
up  a  conversation.  Miss  Pamela  had  to  have  pillows  brought  down  and 
reclined  on  the  sofa.  She  said  she  would  write  to  you  the  day  I  left  there. 
I  hope  she  did  so.  She  inquired  a  great  deal  about  you  all,  and  espe- 
cially her  God-son.     She  intends  going  to  Charleston  with  Mrs.  Croft. 

At  Newbery  I  saw  Colonel  Fair ;  he  pressed  me  very  hard  to  go  and 
stay  all  night  with  him.  I  was  too  much  fatigued,  and  he  sat  with  me 
till  after  tea.  He  inquired  how  many  children  we  have  ;  said  he  had  but 
one  yet. 

To-day  I  travelled  down  with  Judge  O'Neal  and  Mr.  Pope.  We 
stopped  and  took  dinner  at  a  creek  on  the  road,  ate  very  heartil}^  of  your 
ginger  cake  and  corn  pound  cake.  I  was  ashamed  of  my  bottle  of  brandy, 
and  told  the  Judge  I  had  something  in  my  trunk  which  he  should  not 
see.  He  asked  me  if  it  was  not  a  tickler.  I  told  him  I  should  answer  no 
questions.  The  bottle  is  still  full.  I  drank  about  a  spoonful  one  day  and 
that  is  all  that  has  been  taken  out  of  it.  Mr.  Cunningham  gave  me  a 
bottle  of  fine  cider  to  bring  with  me,  and  that  I  drank  the  same  day  when 
I  stopped  for  dinner. 

We  overtook  Chancellor  Job  Johnson,  and  with  him  I  had  a  good 
deal  of  chat.  He  told  me  that  Colonel  Preston  had  had  an  attack  of 
paralysis  ;  whilst  walking  the  streets  he  lost  the  use  of  his  tongue  and 
could  not  speak.  He  was  instantly  bled  and  has  recovered,  but  is  still 
apprehensive  of  a  return. 

I  saw  Colonel  Martin  this  evening.  He  told  me  his  family  were  all 
tolerably  well.  He  said  I  looked  very  well.  Mr.  Burt  is  here  ;  we  sat 
together  at  dinner,  Mrs.  Burt  is  to  join  him  in  Charleston  on  the  way 
to  Washington.  He  inquired  very  kindly  after  you  and  the  children,  so 
did  Colonel  Martin  after  your  mother  and  family.  I  have  already  met  a 
great  many  of  my  old  friends  and  acquaintances,  but  I  have  not  time  to 
say  more  about  them  at  present. 

I  was  disappointed  in  not  hearing  from  you  by  Colonel  Towns  ;  he 
left  the  day  after  I  did  ;  says  Earle's  child  is  still  sick.  I  hope  you  and 
the  children  are  all  well.  How  I  should  like  to  see  you  all  to-night ;  just 
take  a  peep  at  you,  Will,  Anne^  and  Frank.  I  am  homesick  already. 
You  must  write  to  me  by  every  mail.  It  is  likely  I  shall  not  be  able  to 
write  you  by  the  next  mail.  Kiss  the  children  for  me  and  give  my  love 
to  your  mother,  Susan  and  Anne.  God  bless  you. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


I30  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Columbia,  S.  C,  Tuesday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  did  not  receive  your  letter,  written  last  Friday,  till 
this  morning.  How  it  happened  I  know  not.  I  went  to  the  post  office 
Monday  morning  and  inquired  for  letters,  but  found  none.  Your  letter 
should  have  reached  here  Sunday  evening.  I  was  very  much  gratified  to 
hear  from  you,  even  the  day  after  I  left  home. 

For  the  last  two  days  I  have  been  constantly  occupied  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  and  have  made  rapid  progress  in  my  cases.  The  cases  of  John 
Cunningham  and  Yancey  were  argued  by  Colonel  Carroll  and  myself  on 
Monday.  General  Whitner  replied  to  our  arguments  this  morning,  and 
we  both  spoke  in  reply  to  him  again.  The  result  is  unknown.  I  have 
strong  hopes  of  succeeding  in  arresting  the  judgments.  We  shall  hear 
the  opinion  of  the  Court  delivered  on  Monday  next.  The  case  of  Mrs. 
Mayront's  Will  was  argued  by  me  and  Young  yesterday.  I  do  not  know 
how  it  will  be  disposed  of.  My  argument  was  said  to  be  a  very  good  one, 
and  I  hope  has  been  successful.  The  case  of  Griffith,  about  the  child  in 
dispute  between  the  father  and  mother,  was  argued  by  me  and  Colonel 
Towns  on  yesterday  also.  I  think  the  child  will  be  given  to  the  father, 
for  whom  I  am  contending.  Mr.  Waddle's  case  was  argued  to-day  by 
Henry  and  myself  for  Waddle,  and  by  Young  and  Sullivan  for  Joyce  and 
Cureton  ;  but  we  have  had  no  intimation  as  to  the  result  from  the  Court. 
Colonel  Coleman's  cases  will  be  argued,  to-morrow  or  the  next  day.  The 
case  of  McBee  and  others  against  ^\  Hoke,  as  Coroner,  was  argued  to- 
day by  Colonel  Towns  and  myself  and  Mr.  Young,  but  no  decision  given. 
The  case  of  Collins,  from  Spartanburgh,  will  come  up  this  week  some 
time. 

There  is  great  electioneering  for  Judge.  Frost,  Whitner,  Withers, 
Dargan,  Caldwell  and  others,  are  all  candidates.  Who  will  be  elected  is 
doubtful.     Some  persons  think  the  contest  between  Whitner  and  Frost. 

I  have  purchased  two  beautiful  silver  cups  for  Annec  and  Frank,  and 
had  their  names  engraved  on  them,  all  for  $17.00.  I  gave  all  the  watches 
and  rings  and  breastpins  to  be  mended,  and  they  will  be  done  in  a  day  or 
two. 

I  had  to  buy  me  a  new  hat  ($6.00)  to  wear  with  my  fine  cloak,  also  a 
pair  of  gloves,  etc.;  a  beautiful  purse,  $1.00;  a  pocketbook  for  notes, 
$2.00  ;  "Spear's  Reports,"  $5.00.     This  is  the  extent  of  my  purchases. 

I  have  been  so  much  engaged  in  Court  that  I  have  seen  no  one  and 
conversed  with  no  one  ;  have  not  even  been  to  the  State  House  ;  not  had 
time  to  speak  to  Mr.  Pettigru,  who  is  engaged  in  the  other  end  of  the 
Court  House  in  the  Court  of  Chancery. 


To  His  Wife.  131 

I  am  glad  to  hear  Dr.  Robinson  has  sent  you  a  barrel  of  flour.  I  was 
afraid  he  had  forgotten  it.  My  money  is  getting  pretty  scarce,  and  I 
shall  have  to  break  in  upon  my  gold.  If,  however,  you  want  any  little 
matter,  write  to  me  and  I  will  bring  it  up  with  me.  I  must  look  out  for 
a  present  for  Will.  If  I  can  see  a  suitable  one  for  Anne  and  Susan,  I  will 
get  one  for  each. 

Mr.  Burt  admired  my  cloak  very  much,  and  has  had  him  one  made 
like  it,  or  nearly  so,  to  wear  to  Washington.  If  you  were  to  see  me 
wrapped  up  in  it,  you  would  hardly  recognize  your  husband.  You  see,  I 
must  find  something  to  fill  up  my  letter  with. 

I  am  afraid  Sam  Karle's  child  is  dangerous,  as  he  has  not  yet  arrived. 
How  it  would  gratify  me  to  see  you  and  the  children  to-night  before  the 
little  creatures  are  put  to  bed. 

I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  be  able  to  return  home.  Colonel  Towns 
speaks  of  going  back  on  Sunday. 

Good-night.     God  bless  you. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Friday  night. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  wrote  you  last  night  by  mail,  but  will  write  you  a 
few  lines  by  Colonel  Towns.  He  leaves  in  the  morning  and  will  go  up 
in  the  stage,  so  you  will  receive  two  letters  from  me  the  same  evening. 
This  I  am  willing  you  should  do,  for  the  very  acceptable  one  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  receiving  from  you  this  evening.  Very  acceptable,  and  was 
only  disagreeable  in  informing  me  as  to  poor  little  Annals  burn.  I  am 
afraid  it  is  more  than  you  write,  but  how  fortunate  it  was  not  a  great  deal 
worse.  You  cannot  be  too  careful  about  the  fire.  Never  let  the  children 
be  alone  by  the  fire,  there  is  great  danger.  It  would  be  horrible  to  have 
some  accident  of  the  kind  to  happen  to  them. 

I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are  getting  on  so  well  with  the  household.  I 
was  quite  uneasy,  not  having  heard  from  you  by  the  last  mail.  You  seem 
pleased  with  Delia's  mother,  and  I  have  no  doubt  she  is  a  good  woman. 
I  am  glad  she  came  up  to  see  Delia. 

I  will  take  your  advice  and  keep  all  my  purchases  to  bring  with  me. 
I  had  a  thought  of  sending  them  by  Colonel  Towns,  but  will  not.  I  have 
sent  by  his  wagon  a  box  of  oranges  and  pine  apples  ($2.00  worth).  You 
will  send  Anne  and  your  mother  half  of  them  and  give  the  servants  some 
of  them.     The  wagon  will  reach  Greenville  Tuesday  or  Wednesday. 

The  watches  and  rings  and  breastpins  have  all  been  done  ;  the  charge 
for  your  watch  was  $4.00 ;  ybur  mother's  and  Susan's  $3*00  each.    I 


132  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

have  bought  you  a  beautiful  gold  key  ($2.00)  ;  the  mending  all  the 
rings  and  breastpins,  $1.50.  The  watchmaker  says  all  the  watches  will 
now  keep  time  well,  even  Susan's  little  watch  will  do  well.  He  is  a  very 
honest,  faithful  workman. 

I  have  been  engaged  in  Court  all  day  to-day  ;  argued  Collins'  case 
and  Colonel  Coleman's.  I  think  I  shall  lose  Collins'  case  but  gain 
Colonel  Coleman's.  I  will  write  Colonel  Coleman  a  letter  by  Towns, 
if  I  have  time.  I  rather  think  I  shall  gain  MrrXuimingham's  case  and 
Waddle's,  but  these  are  mere  conjectures  from  what  Judge  Butler  told  me 
in  a  jocose  way  this  morning. 

There  are  some  little  horses  here  with  wheels  for  children  to  ride  and 
push  along,  a  sort  of  velocipede,  price  $5.00.  I  have  a  strong  notion  to 
buy  one  for  Will.     Write  me  about  it. 

I  have  bought  no  books.  Poor  Cunningham,  the  bookseller,  is  dead 
and  his  book  store  shut  up.  He  had  just  been  on  to  the  north  and  made  a 
very  large  purchase  of  books.  I  knew  him  fifteen  years  since  when  he 
was  very  poor  and  ignorant.  He  had  made  a  fortune  and  acquired  a  good 
deal  of  information,  was  married  and  had  a  family  of  children.  His  fate 
is  a  sad  one. 

Tell  Will  I  have  bought  him  a  great  many  presents.  I  am  glad  you 
get  on  so  well  at  night  with  the  children  all  in  one  bed.  You  are  very 
good  in  keeping  the  cot  for  me. 

We  have  had  dreadful  weather  for  several  days.  This  evening  I 
waded  through  the  streets  and  torrents  of  rain  to  the  post  office  to  get 
your  letter.  By  accident  I  got  in,  the  Postmaster  was  very  civil  and  per- 
mitted me  to  remain  whilst  he  was  opening  the  mail,  so  I  got  j^our  letter 
and  one  from  Mrs.  Towns  for  Colonel  Towns. 

I  do  not  know  when  I  shall  be  able  to  return  yet.  You  must  write 
me  by  the  return  mail.  Give  my  love  to  your  mother  and  sisters.  Kiss 
the  children  for  me  and  tell  them  to  kiss  you  for  me. 

Good-night.     God  bless  you. 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  Thursday  night. 
My  Dear  Liz : — I  was  very  much  disappointed  in  not  hearing  from 
you  by  the  last  mail.  Mr.  Earle  came  down,  however,  in  the  same  stage 
and  said  he  supposed  you  were  all  well,  having  heard  nothing  to  the  con- 
trary ;  but  I  was  sure  you  would  have  written  to  me  between  Friday  and 
Monday  night.  -  -      . 


To  His  Wife.  133 

■ 

Mr.  Ward,  Colonel  Dunten's  clerk,  went  up  in  the  stage  this  morn- 
ing, and  offered  to  carry  anything  I  might  wish  to  send  up.  I  had 
already  mailed  a  letter  for  you  and  had  nothing  further  to  write  you.  I 
thought  of  sending  up  the  silver  cups  and  some  other  little  matters,  but 
concluded  to  keep  them  until  I  returned  myself.  I  went  out  to  get  some 
oranges,  but  could  find  none  that  were  good.  There  are  to  be  some  in 
town  this  evening.     I  will  bring  some  with  me. 

I  have  bought  two  beautiful  dumb  watches  for  Will  and  Anne  (price 
$1.00).  I  have  also  bought  a  beautiful  musical  instrument  for  Will, 
which  he  can  play  by  blowing  in  it.  I  have  bought  for  you  a  beautiful 
camera  obscura  in  a  beautiful  mahogany  box  (price  $4.00).  With  it,  you 
may  take  landscapes  or  copy  anything.  It  may  sit  in  the  window  and  it 
reflects  everything  going  on  in  the  streets.  I  have  also  bought  two  very 
handsome  pin-cushions  made  out  of  shells  (price,  31  cents).  You  see  I 
have  made  a  great  many  purcha.ses  of  great  value.  I  will  keep  then  all 
till  I  go  up  myself 

In  Court  I  have  not  done  anything  since  I  wrote  you  last.  Mr.  Burt 
got  the  Judges  to  take  up  his  business,  which  has  occupied  them  yesterday 
and  to-day.  He  leaves  in  the  morning  for  Washington.  I  shall  probably 
commence  my  business  in  Court  again  to-morrow. 

I  met  Mr.  Petigru  yesterday  and  he  exclaimed:  **Why  Perry,  I 
never  saw  a  man  so  much  improved  in  my  life.  How  well  you  look  ;  you 
grow  younger  every  time  I  see  you."  We  had  a  long  talk.  He  thinks 
very  poorly  of  the  candidates  for  Judge. 

I  visited  the  State  House  to-day  for  the  first  time  ;  it  has  been  most 
beautifully  altered  and  fitted  up  since  last  Winter.  Colonel  Hunt  has 
given  directions  and  displayed  great  taste.  I  told  him  the  Legislature 
ought  to  vote  him  their  thanks.  He  said  if  they  would  vote  him  the 
money  to  pay  for  it,  he  would  ask  no  more.     It  has  cost  $12,000. 

I  visited  the  Governor  this  morning  on  business  in  his  Executive 
office.  He  inquired  how  long  I  would  stay  and  was  very  civil,  and 
seemed  to  intimate  that  he  would  pay  me  further  civilities,  etc. 

I  have  seen  Colonel  Memminger,  Frost  and  a  great  many  of  the 
members  to-day.     They  all  seemed  to  meet  me  with  great  cordiality. 

If  Whitner  is  elected  Judge,  I  think  of  running  for  Solicitor  ;  but  the 
election  of  Whitner  is  very  doubtful. 

Tell  John  I  inquired  after  his  son  ;  he  is  out  in  the  country.  I  sent 
the  letter  to  his  son's  mother,  and  told  them  to  tell  Thomas  when  he  came 
up  to  come  and  see  me.     So  I  find  John  has  two  wives,  both  living. 

I  hope  you  and  the  children  are  all  well.  I  shall  expect  a  letter  from 
you  to-morrow  evening  with  great  interest,  and  if  I  do  not  receive  one, 
I  shall  be  very  uneasy  and  unhappy. 


134  L,35TTERS  OF  BENJAMIN   F.    PeRRY 

I  have  to  write  you  the  night  before  the  mail  is  made  up  for  Green- 
ville.    I  have  not  time  to  write  the  same  day. 
Write  me  what  you  wish  me  to  get  for  you. 

My  dear  lyiz,  good-night. 

B.  F.  Perry. 
P.  S. — Since  writing  this  letter,  I  have  sold  my  railroad  stock  to  A. 
R.  Drayton,  for  $960.     He  is  to  send  me  a  draft  for  that  amount  on  Mon- 
day next.     I  am  glad  to  get  rid  of  the  stock.     I  have  made  something  by 
it,  and  now  will  be  able  to  pay  all  my  debts. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Tuesday  evening. 

My  Dear  Liz: — I  have  time  to  write  you  but  a  few  lines.  I  have  my 
hands  full.  I  have  been  appointed  on  two  committees  to  examine 
students  and  have  to  prepare  some  two  or  three  hundred  questions.  I 
have  also  to  prepare  for  an  important  case  before  the  I^egislature 
to-morrow. 

I  am  getting  tired  of  Columbia  and  wish  to  see  you,  the  children  and 
home  very  much.  I  will  break  off,  as  soon  as  possible,  the  first  of  next 
week. 

The  Court  of  Appeals  delivered  opinions  to-day  in  all  of  my  cases  but 
two.  I  gained  the  case  of  McBee  and  Irvine  and  Hoke,  and  lost  the  cases 
of  Waddle  and  Colonel  Coleman ;  also  Cunningham's  case  and  Collins' 
case  from  Spartanburgh.  John  Cunningham  is  now  here  ;  he  came  down 
last  night  and  the  taverns  were  all  full,  he  could  get  in  nowhere  and  I 
had  to  take  him  in  my  room.  He  is  sleeping  on  a  pallet  on  the  floor. 
He  seems  a  good  deal  affected  by  his  conviction. 

I  went  to  college  yesterday  and  saw  Bishop  Gadsden  ;  he  came  up  and 
spoke  to  me,  inquired  about  you  and  your  mother,  told  me  he  had  seen 
Mr.  Pinckney,  that  he  had  fattened  so  he  could  not  wear  his  old  clothes. 
He  was  on  his  return  to  Pendleton.  .  I  suppose  he  is  in  Greenville  by  this 
time. 

I  saw  Colonel  Taylor  the  other  day  ;  he  says  his  children  are  sick, 
Mrs.  Taylor  not  very  well. 

I  hope  to  receive  a  letter  from  you  to-morrow. 

I  have  received  the  money  for  my  railroad  stock,  $960.  The  stock 
has  since  fallen.  I  am  delighted  to  be  out  of  the  scrape.  I  will  now  pay 
off  Hoke,  and  if  you  consent,  will  get  Cox  &  Markley  to  make  me  a 
handsome  carriage,  buy  a  match  to  my  horse  and  henceforth  keep  a  car- 
riage and  horses.     I  shall  be  able  to  pay  for  it,     I  will  get  one  or  two 


I'o  His  Wifk.  i^^ 

Hundred  dollars  out  of  the  money  in  Hoke's  hands  for  Henning's  credit 
tors.  There  must  be  several  hundred  dollars  ready  for  me  in  Pickens, 
but  more  about  this  matter  when  I  return  home. 

I  have  nothing  now  to  write  you  except  that  I  bought  a  dressing 
gown,  price  $4.50.     Nothing  else  since  I  wrote  last. 

I  am,  my  dear  wife,  yours  truly  and  devotedly.  Good-night.  It  is 
now  past  eleven  o'clock.     Kiss  the  children.     How  is  poor  Anne(s  arm? 

B.  F.  Perry. 


Columbia,  S.  C.  ,  Sunday  evening. 

My  Dear  Liz : — I  have  been  to  church  this  morning  like  a  good 
Christian,  as  I  hope  one  day  to  be,  and  will  now  spend  the  evening  in 
writing  to  you,  like  a  good  husband,  as  I  hope  you  will  grant  me  already 
to  be.  I  am  a  good  husband  in  all  things,  except  that  I  will  not  some- 
times yield  my  opinion  to  yours  ;  but  even  in  this  you  afterwards  admit 
me  to  be  right,  and  like  a  good  wife  (which  I  will  vow  j^ou  to  be  before 
any  earthly  tribunal),  acknowledge  yourself  to  be  wrong. 

I  witnessed  a  very  interesting  spectacle  in  church  this  morning. 
Bishop  Gadsden  confirmed  some  forty  or  fifty  members,  and  amongst 
them  was  Chancellor  Harper.  When  I  saw  this  venerable  and  venerated 
person  approach  the  altar  and  bow4tself  amidst  the  youth  and  beauty 
which  surrounded  the  Bishop,  and  when  I  thought  of  his  high  position  in 
society,  and  the  great  genius  and  intellect  with  which  he  was  endowed, 
and  the  danger  in  which  he  once  stood  of  being  a  hopeless  drunkard,  I 
could  but  shed  a  tear  of  joy  at  what  I  believed  to  be  his  salvation,  tem- 
poral and  spiritual.  There  is  a  purity  and  simplicity  of  character  about 
Chancellor  Harper  which  I  have  always  admired.  If  there  be  anything 
in  the  character  of  men  which  I  admire  above  everything  else,  it  is  sim- 
plicity and  frankness  of  character  ;  they  constitute  what  I  term  purity  of 
character.     These  Chancellor  Harper  has  in  an  eminent  degree. 

There  were  a  great  many  confirmed  to-day.  Dr.  Laborde  was 
amongst  them,  also  a  daughter  of  Ben  Taylor,  and  I  think  Mrs.  Maturin, 
the  wife  of  the  gentleman  who  wishes  to  take  charge  of  the  Greenville 
Male  Academy.  Mr.  Maturin  called  to  see  me  the  other  day  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Greenville  academies.  He  is  an  accomplished  gentleman  and 
scholar,  speaks  French,  Italian,  German,  Spanish,  Latin  and  Greek.  He 
is  a  fine  looking  man  and  his  wife  is  a  most  beautiful  woman  (if  I  am 
right  in  my  conjecture).  She  was  sitting  with  him.  They  have  two 
children.     He  is  about  my  age  ;  she  is  young,  but  older  than  her  appear- 


136  IvETTERS  OF  Benjamin  I^.  Perry 

ance  would  indicate,  judging  from  the  size  of  her  son.  I  requested 
Maturin  to  write  immediately  to  Dr.  Crook.  I  think  he  would  be  an 
acquisition  to  Greenville.  He  is  a  lawyer  and  practiced  some  years  in 
New  York.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Maturin,  of  Ireland,  a  distin- 
guished author  and  scholar. 

I  saw  Mrs.  Hayne's  eldest  son,  Alston,  yesterday.  He  has  come  up 
to  apply  for  admission  to  the  Bar  ;  said  his  mother  and  all  friends  were 
well,  and  inquired  after  you  and  your  mother  and  sisters.  He  looks  thin 
and  pale  as  if  he  had  been  studying  hard.  He  appears  to  be  a  very  clever 
young  man. 

Colonel  Ancrum  and  myself  formed  an  acquaintance  last  night  sitting 
together  at  the  supper  table.  He  asked  me  if  I  did  not  marry  in  Charles- 
ton, and  said  he  knew  you  and  your  mother  very  well.  I  told  him  I  had 
heard  you  speak  of  him  and  especially  his  sisters.  He  said  his  sisters 
were  very  intimate  with  your  mother's  family. 

Judge  Richardson  stopped  me  yesterday  in  the  street  and  paid  me 
some  handsome  compliments  for  the  able  and  learned  arguments  which  I 
had  been  making  in  the  Court  of  Appeals  last  week.  He  said  he  hoped! 
aspired  to  a  seat  on  the  Bench  ;  that  he  felt  concerned  about  it  ;  that  I 
ought  to  turn  my  attention  in  that  direction.  He  said  my  arguments 
were  admirable  ones,  well  considered,  well  written  and  handsomely 
delivered. 

It  is  now  proposed  to  elect  two  Judges  instead  of  one.  If  this  propo- 
sition is  carried,  I  think  General  Whitner's  chance  pretty  good. 

I  hope  to  receive  a  letter  from  you  this  evening  and  will  not  close 
mine  till  to-morrow.  The  Commencement  in  College  is  to-morrow  ;  no 
Court  sitting  to-morrow.  I  hope  to  be  at  home  the  first  of  next  week, 
when  I  shall  truly  be  overjoyed  to  meet  you  and  the  children,  about 
whom  I  am  constantly  thinking.     Adieu  for  the  evening. 

Yours  truly, 

B.  F.  Perry. 


C01.UMBIA,  S.  C,  December  11,  1844. 
My  Dear  Liz : — I  am  quite  unwell  again  and  have  not  been  able  to 
go  to  church  to-day.  Mr.  Boon,  the  Chinese  Missionary,  preaches  in  the 
Episcopal  Church,  and  I  should  have  been  glad  to  hear  him.  It  is  said 
he  has  come  back  to  get  another  wife,  and  intends  returning  to  China  as 
soon  as  this  mission  is  accomplished.  I  have  also  understood  that  there 
is  a  Miss  Elliot,  a  sister  of  Banard  Elliot,  who  wishes  to  go  to  China,  but 
does  not  care  to  go  with  Mr.  Boon.  He  brought  back  with  him  two  of 
the  Chinese,  who  are  a  great  curiosity. 

5/uULc     (cA>»^    ^U^    LJXuu     CuColv^     Cb    JLLXS^cl    JUUULA-^ 


To  His  Wife.  137 

I  shall  leave  here  on  Tuesday  morning  and  will  be  at  home  Thursday 
night.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  been  a  month  from  home,  and  I  never 
was  more  anxious  to  see  you  and  the  children.  It  is  altogether  a  mistake 
to  suppose  a  man  takes  more  pleasure  in  visiting  a  lady  before  than  after 
marriage,  or  that  he  loves  her  more  before  she  becomes  the  head  of  his 
family.  My  love  for  you  has  gone  on  increasing  from  the  time  I  first  saw 
you,  and  I  never  wished  to  see  you  more  anxiously  than  I  do  at  this 
moment.  And  the  dear  little  children  have  grown  in  my  affections.  The 
last  time  I  was  in  Columbia  there  were  only  two  children  for  me  to  kiss 
on  my  return  ;  now  I  have  three,  and  perhaps  next  Winter  we  may  have 
four.  Dear  little  Frank,  how  is  he  ?  has  he  grown  much  ?  Poor  little 
Annei,  my  favorite,  how  is  her  arm?  Will  is  a  noble  little  fellow,  and 
some  day  will  make  a  good  man  if  not  a  great  one.  Greatness  is  of  little 
consequence  after  all.  This  reminds  me  of  what  Colonel  Martin  told  me 
about  the  death  of  Albert  Rhett.  He  said  that  Rhett  most  bitterly 
lamented  on  his  death-bed  that  he  had  thought  so  much  of  ambition  and 
worldly  honors,  that  they  were  the  merest  trash  in  the  world.  He  deeply 
lamented  that  he  had  not  encouraged  his  religious  feelings  some  years 
since  when  he  had  them.  He  said  that  they  had  passed  away.  He 
desired  to  be  placed  on  his  knees  in  bed,  and  that  he  made  the  most  fer- 
vent and  eloquent  prayer  that  ever  came  from  the  lips  of  man  a  few  hours 
before  his  death. 

I  shall  to-morrow  hear  the  results  of  my  other  cases  in  the  Court  of 
Appeals,  and  also  know  what  has  been  done  with  my  case  in  the  I^egisla- 
ture.  This  will  leave  me  free  from  business  and  make  me  ready  to  leave 
for  home.  I  must  complete  my  shopping  to-morrow  also.  I  have  pur- 
chased some  lavender  water  for  Anne,  and  also  through  a  mistake  I  pur- 
chased some  lavender  oil,  37^  cents  worth.  I  will  bring  some  cocoanuts 
for  Anne  if  I  can,  but  I  have  no  way  to  bring  them  except  in  the  body  of 
my  buggy.  My  trunks  will  be  full.  I  have  bought  very  few  books, 
"  Borrow' s  Bible  in  Spain,"  and  also  his  "Gypsies  in  Spain,"  also 
"  D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Reformation." 

I  hope  to  hear  from  you  this  evening  when  the  Greenville  mail  comes 
in,  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not. 

John  Cunningham  left  here  this  morning  for  Augusta.  Some  new 
difficulty  has  arisen  between  McGowen  and  Yancey.  McGowen  went  on 
to  challenge  him.  I(x  dissua^ied^  John  from  going — I  said  the  difficulty 
would  be  settled.         ^^'^^  ^ 

I  wrote  Pamela  a  letter  this  morning  saying  that  it  would  not  be  in 
my  power  to  pass  by  Rosemont  on  my  return  home  ;  that  when  I  got  off 
from  here  I  could  not  stop  on  the  road  till  I  reached  Greenville.  It  would 
delay  me  one  or  two  days  going  by  Mr.  Cunningham's. 


139  LSTTSRS  OF  BSNJAMIN  F.  P«RRY 

I  am  at  a  loss  what  sort  of  present  to  bring  Susan  and  Anne,  and  1 
expect  to  bring  none  at  all.  I  hate  to  make  a  present  unless  it  is  a  valu- 
able one,  and  I  am  not  able  to  make  that  sort  of  one.  I  wish  I  was  rich 
so  that  I  might  purchase  anything  I  could  desire  and  make  you  and  all 
of  my  relations  presents.  God  bless  you, 

B.  F.  Perry. 

P.  S. — My  dear  Liz,  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  this  evening.  It  was 
brought  to  me  in  my  room  after  supper  whilst  several  persons  were 
present,  •  and  I  told  them  as  it  was  a  letter  from  my  wife,  they  must 
excuse  me  for  opening  it  whilst  they  were  present.  I  was  truly  glad  to 
hear  you  were  all  well  and  anxiously  look  forward  to  Thursday  evening 
when  we  shall  all  be  together  again.  I  will  excuse  you  for  not  having 
written  to  me  oftener.  I  know  the  children  must  trouble  you  a  great  deal 
and  that  you  have  your  hands  full.  Yours  tnily, 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 


Columbia,  S.  C,  Sunday  night,  January  ist,  1845. 

Mj/  Dear  Liz: — We  arrived  here  safely  this  evening,  and  I  will 
write  you  a  line  before  I  go  to  bed. 

The  weather  to-day  was  dreadful,  sleeting  and  raining  all  day.  Will 
stood  the  weather  well  and  has  behaved  like  a  little  man  ever  since  he 
left  home.  He  is  the  admiration  of  all  who  see  him.  Dr.  Simms,  of 
Union,  Colonel  Summer,  of  Newbery,  and  Captain  Ward  came  down  with 
us.  Will  drew  from  all  of  them  merited  compliments  on  his  behavior 
and  appearance.  At  one  time,  in  the  stage,  he  became  a  little  excited  by 
Colonel  Summers,  who  plagued  him  about  the  girls.  Will  has  manifested 
great  curiosity  at  every  thing  he  sees  on  the  road,  and  really  displays 
sense  in  his  questions  and  remarks. 

We  had  to  get  up  at  Newbery  at  three  o'clock.  I  dressed  first  and 
then  woke  up  Will  and  dressed  him  very  easily.  After  getting  here  this 
evening  I  dressed  and  put  a  clean  shirt  on  Will.  He  is  now  in  bed  and 
talking  to  me  and  telling  me  a  great  many  things  to  write  you,  about  the 
bridge,  etc.,  also  kiss  Anne. and  Frank,  and  that  they  must  kiss  you  for 
him.  He  reminded  me  just  now  about  his  not  having  said  his  prayers, 
and  I  told  him  to  repeat  them  in  bed.  He  is  now  talking  to  me  about 
giants,  etc.;  he  seems  as  merry  as  a  cricket.  His  whole  expenses  to  this 
place  were  37)^  cents,  so  he  has  cost  me  little  or  nothing  yet. 

At  Laurens  I  received  a  bundle  from  Pamela  to  you,  containing  a 
dress  and  a  letter  ;  she  wished  you  to  have  the   dress  dyed  for  her  in 


To  His  Wife.  139 

Charleston,  and  sent  $3.00.  She  supposed  from  what  we  said  that  there 
was  no  doubt  of  your  going  to  town.  I  will  attend  to  the  request.  She 
wrote  pressing  us  to  call  on  our  return  ;  said  her  company  left  on  Thurs- 
day, the  week  after  we  left,  and  that  she  had  been  unwell  ever  since. 

I  was  happy  to  find  that  no  damage  had  been  done  by  Yancey  and 
Clingman.  The  papers  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  Yancey's  conduct 
and  deportment  on  the  occasion.  You  will  see  what  the  Courier  says. 
The  Mercury  praises  highly  his  noble  bearing  and  talents. 

I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  a  bad  day  to-morrow.  Will  has  just  been 
inquiring  about  the  steam  horse  and  railroad  and  has  fallen  to  sleep. 
Colonel  Summer  says  this  trip  will  be  worth  six  months  schooling  to  Will. 
His  observation  and  memory  have  astounded  me.  You  remember  I  once 
told  you  about  two  white  servant  girls  in  this  hotel.  I  did  not  know 
Will  was  present.  This  evening  one  of  those  girls  was  making  up  the 
beds  and  arranging  the  room  when  we  came  up.  Will  remembered  every 
word  I  had  told  you,  asked  if  this  was  the  girl  who  cursed  some  gentle- 
man, and  where  the  other  was  ;  said  he  never  had  seen  white  servants 
before  ;  wanted  to  know  if  they  slept  in  the  kitchen.  At  the  supper  table 
he  inquired  which  was  Mrs.  Maylin,  and  said  he  had  not  yet  seen  Mr. 
Maylin.  Whilst  we  were  at  the  table  and  after  the  company  had  pretty 
well  left,  the  white  servants  came  and  sat  down.  Will  remarked  that  one 
was  prettier  than  the  other ;  he  noticed,  too,  that  a  little  girl  behaved 
badly  at  table. 

I  am  sorry  that,  I  cannot  send  Will  up  to  see  Mrs.  Taylor  and  little 
William  Taylor.  I  take  great  pride  in  showing  him  off  now,  and  I  form 
a  higher  estimate  of  his  mind  as  we  become  more  familiar,  and  also  of  his 
disposition  and  manners.  He  is  an  uncommon  boy,  worthy  in  every  way 
of  his  parents,  inheriting  their  beauty,  manliness  and  sweetness,  talents 
and  goodness. 

I  hope  you  and  the  other  two  little  creatures  are  well.  You  must 
write  me  often.  I  will  write  you  whenever  I  can.  To-night  I  have  no 
ink,  and  have  to  put  my  pen  in  the  inkstand  every  two  or  three  words. 

Jim  has  just  brought  me  a  bundle  of  my  speeches  neatly  folded  up 
and  sent  me  from  the  Chronicle  office.  I  undid  the  bundle  thinking  it  was 
one  Mr.  Taylor  had  left  at  the  bar  for  me  during  the  session. 

My  ink  is  so  bad  I  must  stop.     Good-night.     It  is  eight  o'clock  and 
Will  is  sleeping  finely.     I  will  join  him.     We  have  to  get  up  by  half-past 
five,  the  cars  leave  half-past  six.     Kiss  the  children  for  me. 
Your  affectionate  and  loving  husband, 

B.  F.  Perry. 

Note.— Will  was  five  and  a  half  years  old  when  he  made  the  visit  to  Charleston, 
alluded  to  in  these  three  letters. 


HO  Letters  of  Benjamin  F.  Perry 

Charleston,  S.  C,  January  23,  1845. 

My  Dear  Liz  : — I  wrote  you  a  letter  in  Columbia,  and  I  knew  you 
would  see  our  arrival  announced  in  the  Charleston  Courier.  I  have  there- 
fore delayed  writing  until  Will  had  seen  his  kinspeople.  Your  aunt, 
Mrs.  Wm.  Ed.  Hayne,  also  informed  me  that  she  had  written  to  your 
mother.  But  I  did  intend  writing  this  evening  in  time  for  it  to  reach  you 
Sunday  night.  This  I  am  disappointed  in,  I  am  afraid,  although  the 
mail  does  not  leave  till  nine  in  the  morning. 

I  woke  Will  up  in  Columbia  at  half  past  five  and  we  started  on  the 
railroad  at  half  past  six.  There  were  very  few  passengers  in  the  car  and 
we  had  quite  a  pleasant  trip.  Will  was  all  wonder  and  astonishment  at 
the  railroad,  steam  car,  etc.  Colonel  Hampton  got  into  the  car  at  his 
plantation  and  went  with  us  to  Charleston.  He  was  much  pleased  with 
Will  and  showed  him  great  attention,  took  him  in  his  lap  and  pointed  out 
all  the  curiosities  and  wonders,  and  had  a  good  deal  of  conversation  with 
him.  The  morning  after  our  arrival,  I  carried  Will  down  to  your  aunt, 
Mrs.  Wm.  Kd.  Hayne  ;  they  were  much  pleased  with  him  and  insisted  on 
his  staying  with  them.  He  went  to  see  the  inost  of  his  relations.  The 
next  morning  I  called  to  see  him  and  the  little  fellow  burst  into  tears  and 
sobbed  as  if  he  was  in  great  distress.  He  refused  to  be  separated  from 
me  any  more.  I  had  to  walk  with  him  to  your  aunt's  in  Meeting 
Street.  In  the  evening  I  went  down  and  took  him  to  the  theatre  and  he 
staid  there  until  near  twelve  o'clock  in  the  night.  You  may  know  he 
was  delighted.  In  the  theatre  we  met  Mr.  Fred  Rutledge,  Mr.  Blake  and 
Colonel  De  Treville,  who  all  admired  and  noticed  Will  very  kindly.  This 
morning  I  carried  him  down  to  the  bay  and  on  board  of  two  ships  and 
showed  him  the  ocean.  Mr.  Samuel  Earle  was  with  us.  I  dined  with 
your  Aunt  Eliza  Will  and  Susan  and  myself  went  to  see  Mrs.  Turnbull 
and  Aunt  Martha  and  the  Miss  Haynes.  They  all  seem  to  admire  Will, 
and  Mrs.  Turnbull  asked  if  I  would  be  willing  to  leave  Will  until  June. 
Will  came  home  with  me,  and  is  now  lying  in  bed  and  has  been  talking 
all  the  time  I  have  been  writing. 

I  looked  over  your  mother's  papers  this  morning  and  found  them  all 
correct.  There  is  $143.00  interest  due  on  Nonel's  bond,  which  I  did  not 
know  of  in  Greenville.  I  have  received  $30.00  in  bank  dividends.  I  will 
get  William  Edward  and  Alston  Hayne  to  attend  to  your  mother's 
business. 

I  have  not  done  much  shopping  yet.  I  purchased  a  piece  of  carpet 
at  $1.23  per  yard  ;  38  yards  red  and  green  Venetian,  very  beautiful  and 
exceedingly  rich  deep  colors.  Thick  rugs  like  the  one  you  bought  of 
Nicol,  are  $12.00.     I  bought  of  Calder,   formerly  Moffet  &  Calder,  on 


To  His  Wifk.  141 

UMc  Heflry  Street.     Calder  told  me  he  sold  you  carpeting  before.     I  have 
bought  a  few  old  books.    Eliza  is  executing  your  commissions. 

Yesterday  I  argued  my  case  in  Court,  but  do  not  know  the  result. 

ilt  is  said  it  will  be  referred  to  the  Court  of  Errors. 
To-morrow  I  dine  with  Mr.  Yeadon,  and  the  next  day  with  Judge 
King,  at  whose  house  all  the  Judges  are  to  dine.     Mr.  Petigru  seemed 
delighted  to  see  me,  and  inquired  how  long  I  was  going  to  stay,  and  inti- 
mated that  he  intended  to  fee  me  before  he  left  the  city. 

To-night  it  is  raining  or  I  should  have  carried  Will  to  the  circus. 
I  do  not  know  exactly  when  I  can  leave  the  city,  perhaps  not  before 
Friday,  to-morrow  week.     I  must  either  leave  on  next  Tuesday  or  stay 
till  Friday.     It  would  not  be  worth  while  to  start  on  any  other  day,  as  I 
would  not  meet  the  stage  in  Columbia. 

This  may  be  the  last  letter  I  shall  have  the  opportunity  of  writing  to 
you  before  I  leave  Charleston.  I  really  have  had  my  hands  full  since  I 
have  been  here,  between  the  Courts,  Will,  your  relations,  my  acquaint- 
ances, your  shopping,  etc.,  etc.;  a  great  deal  more  so  than  I  had  in 
Columbia.  In  addition  to  all  that,  I  had  the  letters  and  money  to  deliver 
sent  by  me,  and  in  doing  this  I  had  to  run  all  over  town.  Then  there  is 
your  mother's  interest  to  look  to. 

I  hope  you  and  the  children  are  quite  well  and  doing  well.  Your 
I  relations  inquire  after  you  and  the  children  very  kindly,  and  say  Will 
f        looks  like  you,  like  your  father,  etc. 

Kiss  the  children  for  me.     Will  behaves  well.     God  bless  you. 

Yours,  etc., 

B.  F.  Perry. 


CharIvKSTOn,  S.  C,  Saturday,  January  28th,  1845,  9  P.  M. 
Afy  Dear  Liz : — I  have  just  returned  from  a  very  large  and  most 
magnificent  dinner  party  at  Judge  King's.  All  the  Judges  were  present, 
also  Mr.  Petigru  and  Colonel  Preston  and  General  Harlee.  Mrs.  King, 
Mrs.  Henry  King  and  Miss  King  were  present  likewise.  I  never  saw  a 
more  superb  dinner  party  in  my  life  ;  but  I  will  not  attempt  a  description. 
I  enjoyed  myself  remarkably  well,  seated  between  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry 
King  and  opposite  Judge  O'Neal  and  Mr.  Pettigru.  I  left  half  after 
eight  and  went  to  Mrs.  Hayne's  for  Will,  but  he  had  gone  to  bed  and  so  I 
did  not  disturb  him.  He  seems  unwilling  .to  stay  from  me  and  has 
become  more  affectionate  than  ever.  The  first  thing  he  says  in  the 
morning  is  :  "I  want  to  sleep  with  you  to-night.  Papa."     When  I  leave 


142  IvKTTKRS   OF   BeINJAMIN   F.    PeRRY 

him  in  the  morning  at  your  Aunt  Eliza's,  he  takes  a  cry  and  comes  to  tell 
me  good-bye  again.  He  is  a  most  affectionate  little  fellow,  and  the  admi- 
ration of  all  his  relations  and  friends.  Colonel  Martin  told  me  in  the 
presence  of  Mrs.  Hayne,  that  he  had  written  to  Mrs.  Martin  that  no 
arrival  in  Charleston  this  Winter  had  caused  so  great  a  sensation  as  that 
of  Willie,  and  your  Aunt  Kliza  said  he  was  the  lion  of  the  day. 

I  received  your  letter  yesterday  and  was  glad  to  hear  you  were  all 
well.  Your  commission  in  regard  to  sugar  I  have  executed  and  more  than 
executed.  I  have  purchased  260  pounds  of  brown  sugar  and  118  pounds 
of  loaf  sugar  ;  the  brown  sugar  at  seven  cents,  and  very  good,  do  to 
sweeten  our  own  coffee,  and  the  loaf  at  twelve  cents.  Your  mother's 
wine  was  $1.00  per  gallon  and  her  candles  twelve  cents.  Eliza  has  pur- 
chased all  you  wrote  for  with  $10.00.  In  the  carpet,  I  have  already  done 
as  you  desired  ;  a  good  one,  bright  colors  and  no  white  about  it. ''  L**-^ 

I  have  made  a  great  purchase  of  books — rare  old  ones,  \ev%  and  mis- 
cellaneous— very  cheap.  The  slippers  are  made  beautifully  and  fit  nicely, 
look  well  and  are  admired  by  those  who  see  them. 

I  dined  with  Yeadon  yesterday.  He  lives  in  superb  style  and  gave 
us  a  sumptuous  entertainment.  He  gave  the  dinner  to  me.  At  the 
dinner  was  Bryant,  who  said  to  me,  on  being  introduced,  that  my  name 
was  very  familiar  to  him,  and  thanked  me  for  my  speech  in  favor  of  the 
Electoral  Bill. 

I  met  Alfred  Huger  this  morning,  who  told  me  he  approved  of  my 
course  on  the  *  Hoar  question,  and  that  Judge  Huger  did  also. 

Will  has  had  a  great  many  toys  presented  to  him.  Your  friends  and 
my  friends  inquire  after  you  very  kindly,  and  your  relations  express  a 
great  wish  to  see  you. 

I  am  to  go  down  early  in  the  morning  to  go  to  church  with  Will  and 
Eliza  and  Susan.  I  am  to  dine  with  your  Aunt  Eliza.  I  think  highly  oif 
her  and  her  family.  She  is  a  woman  who  possesses  a  congenial  spirit 
with  myself.  I  have  not  yet  seen  your  Aunt  Be«fon  and  Mrs.  William 
Hayne. 

It  is  now  growing  late  and  I  must  bid  you  good-night. 
God  bless  you  and  the  children. 

B.  F.  Pkrry. 

Sunday  morning. 
I  have  nothing  more  to  add.     The  weather  has  been  pretty  good. 
Will  and  myself  quite  well.     Will  is  delighted  with  Charleston,  and  told 

*Singly  and  alone  he  cast  a  vote  no^  to  expel  Hoar  from  the  Slate  of  S.  Carolina  who  was 
sent  by  Mass.,  etc. — Hext. 


To  His  Wife.  143 

Judge  Butler  yesterday  morning  that  he  did  not  want  to  go  back  to 
Greenville  then .  He  woke  me  up  the  other  night  by  clasping  his  little  arms 
around  my  neck  and  hugging  me  ;  another  morning  in  bed  he  commenced 
crying  and  said  he  was  thinking  of  home,  but  it  passed  off  in  a  minute. 
You  never  saw  a  little  fellow  better  satisfied  or  better  behaved. 

My  case  in  Court  has  been  referred  to  the  Court  of  Errors,  and  will 
have  to  be  argued  over  again  next  Spring  in  Columbia,  so  my  trip  to 
town  has  not  expedited  the  suit  at  all. 

I  will  endeavor  to  collect  what  is  due  your  mother  on  Monday.  It 
will  be  more  than  I  supposed,  but  the  insurance  and  taxes  will  have  to  be 
paid  out  of  it. 

Kiss  the  children  for  me. 

B.  F.  Perrt. 


Extracts  froii]  Goverijor  Perry's  Jouri^al. 


July  5th,  1837. — The  27th  of  April,  I  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Frances  McCall,  the 
niece  of  General  Robert  Y.  Hayne.  Her  father,  Hext  McCall,  was  a  promising  lawyer,  who  died 
quite  young.  We  were  married  in  Charleston,  her  native  place.  The  ceremony  was  performed 
at  her  home,  by  Rev.  Ml  Speer — her  minister,  Re^Barnwell,  being  absent.  Her  relatives  princi- 
pally were  present.  The  second  day  after,  we  left  on  the  train  for  Aiken,  and  from  there  in 
Judge  Earle's  carriage  to  Greenville.  On  our  arrival,  a  great  many  persons  called  to  see  us,  and 
we  were  honored  with  a  ball.  We  occupy  pleasant  rooms  at  the  Mansion  House,  where  we  will 
remain  until  our  own  house  is  finished.  Since  our  marriage  my  time  has  been  most  agreeably 
spent  in  the  company  of  my  wife.  When  not  in  my  office,  I  am  with  her.  I  read  to  her  while 
she  works,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  take  a  walk  or  pay  a  visit.  In  this  way  I  have  read  to  my 
wife  since  our  marriage  a  good  many  of  Miss  Edgeworth's  Tales,  a  portion  of  Virgil,  Milton's 
Works,  Pope's  Rape  of  the  Lock  and  Essay  on  Man,  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu's  Letters, 
Pelham,  Great  Metropolis,  House  of  Lords,  House  of  Commons,  Conversations  of  Lady  Bless- 
ington  with  Lord  Byron,  etc. 

•5t***^*-5f-X-**  ******* 

June  26th. — I  went  to  Laurens  Court  of  Equity,  was  two  days  absent  from  my  wife,  the 
first  time  I  had  left  her.  On  my  return  I  thought  she  looked  more  beautiful  than  I  had  ever 
seen  her.     Oh  !  the  pleasure  of  returning  home  when  there  is  a  wife  at  that  home  to  greet  you. 

July  7th,  1837. — We  did  not  attend  the  4th  of  July  Ball,  nor  did  I  go  to  the  public 
dinner.  Lizzy  did  not  wish  to  attend.  We  have  declined  several  invitations  to  private  parties. 
I  am  happy  to  find  that  my  dear  wife  is  not  like  some  ladies — never  happy  only  when  she  is  in 
a  crowd.  If  there  be  happiness  in  this  life,  it  must  be  found  at  home.  If  there  be  real 
enjoyment  it  must  be  in  each  other's  society.  As  soon  as  a  married  couple  begin  to  look  abroad 
or  in  company  for  pleasure,  their  happiness  is  gone. 

I  have  not  been  so  far  disappointed  in  my  anticipations  of  the  pleasure  and  happiness 
of  a  married  life.  It  is  the  natural  state  of  man  if  I  might  be  allowed  to  use  such  an  ex- 
pression. The  greater  part  of  the  world  enter  into  it,  and  therefore  it  must  be  the  most 
agreeable.  As  yet  I  have  experienced  none  of  the  cares  and  disappointments  of  a  wedded 
life.     Judging  from  what  I  know  and  see,  I  confidently  anticipate  a  life  of  domestic  happiness. 

The  following  is  now  a  candid  description  of  my  wife ;  it  is  not  written  with  the  blind  zeal 
of  a  lover,  but  in  the  candor  and  frankness  of  my  nature.  She  is  now  eighteen  years  old,  of  the 
ordinary  height,  and  weighs  about  one  hundred  pounds  ;  her  person  is  slender  and  well  propor- 
tioned, her  figure  good.  She  has  light  auburn  hair,  blue  eyes,  fair  and  most  beautiful  com- 
plexion, the  bloom  of  perfect  health  always  to  be  seen  on  her  cheeks.  Her  features  are  of  the 
Grecian  cast,  small  and  delicate,  her  forehead  high  and  well  turned,  the  nose,  mouth  and  chin  as 
beautiful  as  can  well  be  imagined.  There  is  a  slight  defect  in  the  appearance  of  the  upper  eyelid 
and  brow,  except  when  in  conversation,  which  gives  that  part  of  the  face  rather  a  pensive  look. 
The  contour  of  the  face  is  lovely,  and  she  would  be  regarded  beautiful  in  any  assemblage  of 
ladies.    In  her  disposition  she  has  softness  and  perfect  amiability.    There  is  no  danger  of  unhappi- 

(144) 


Extracts  from  Governor  Perry's  Journai,.      145 

ness  from  that  source.  Her  nature  is  kind  and  affectionate.  She  is  remarkably  particular  and 
attentive  to  her  dress,  and  always  dresses  with  great  neatness  and  simplicity.  In  her  dress  there 
is  no  effort  at  gaudy  show  and  extravagance.  Her  hair  is  worn  in  curls  down  her  neck,  and 
requires  great  particularity  in  keeping  it  properly.  But  on  this  subject  she  is  too  particular,  more 
attention  being  paid  to  her  hair  than  is  necessary.  This  fault  will  be  cured  with  age,  as  I  believe 
all  of  her  faults  will  be.  Her  mind  is  good,  and  may  be  characterized  by  good  sense  and  a 
quickness  of  perception.  She  has  a  retentive  memory  and  recollects  well  all  that  she  reads  or 
that  I  read  to  her.  Her  mind  has  been  pretty  well  cultivated,  though  she  left  school  at  too  early 
a  period — fourteen !  She  was  educated  in  New  Haven,  thoroughly^  and  on  her  return  to 
Charleston,  continued  her  education  at  home.  Her  manners  are  pleasant  and  easy.  In  conver- 
sation she  is  modest  and  unassuming,  and  in  the  presence  of  many  persons  has  but  little  to 
say,  but  in  conversation  with  one  person  always  lively  and  animated.  Her  voice  is  one  of  the 
sweetest  and  softest  I  ever  heard.  This  expression  is  made  too  in  honest  candor.  She  sings  and 
plays  on  the  guitar  most  charmingly,  though  I  have  but  little  soul  for  music.  I  believe  her  turn 
of  mind  is  inclined  towards  industry  and  activity.  She  has  an  active  mind,  a  mind  that  must 
have  employment.  I  said  something  about  her  faults.  If  she  has  any  (and  human  nature  is  not 
perfect),  they  are  the  faults  of  a  girl  of  eighteen  and  will  be  corrected  by  age  and  experience. 

Since  our  marriage  we  have  been  constantly  engaged  in  reading.  It  is  my  wish  to  continue 
it.  I  wish  to  read  to  her  all  the  books  which  I  read  myself.  And  by  this  means  we  will  improve 
together.  I  am  now  engaged  in  reading  to  her.  At  present  we  have  more  leisure  than  it  is 
probable  we  shall  have  in  after  life.  When  we  go  to  housekeeping,  there  will  come  the  cares 
of  a  house,  next  a  family  of  children,  and  then  farewell  to  leisure  time,  or  time  for  reading  or 
improvement. 

July  9th,  1837. — In  the  foregoing  remarks  I  endeavored  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  person, 
character  and  manners  of  my  wife.  This  sketch  is  badly  drawn,  for  it  was  done  in  great  haste 
and  without  a  moment's  consideration.     I  will  now  give  an  impartial  likeness  of  myself. 

I  am  thirty-one  years  old,  six  feet  two  inches  and  one-half  high,  and  weighing  one  hundred 
and  sixty- five  pounds.  My  person  is  slender  and  erect,  well  proportioned  and  formed  for  health 
and  activity,  my  features  are  prominent  and  manly  though  not  handsome,  hazel  eyes,  long  nose, 
high  forehead,  thin  lips,  and  a  good  chin.  My  complexion  is  rather  fair  and  wants  color,  though 
of  a  healthy  appearance.  I  usually  wear  whiskers  which  always  become  a  long  face  like  mine. 
In  my  manners  I  am  plain  and  unstudied.  There  is  nothing  affected  in  my  appearance ;  no  one 
scorns  so  much  as  I  do  any  thing  approaching  to  affectation,  and  no  one  admires  more  than  I  do 
the  simplicity  of  nature,  modesty  and  unassuming  manners.  In  company  I  am  generally  pleasant 
and  talkative.  When  interested  I  flatter  myself  that  I  converse  pretty  well.  The  characteristics 
of  my  mind  are  good  sense  and  sober  prudent  judgment.  My  memory  is  not  very  retentive. 
Whilst  at  school  I  learnt  very  fast  and  could  memorize  with  great  rapidity,  but  I  soon  forgot  what 
I  had  thus  quickly  committed  to  memoiy.  I  have  very  little  imagination,  and  not  the  least  turn 
for  poetry  or  music.  But  I  am  a  great  admirer  of  Milton,  Shakespeare,  Byron,  Scott,  Moore, 
Homer  and  Virgil.  I  have  read  those  immortal  poets  with  intense  interest  and  admiration.  I 
have  from  the  time  I  was  fifteen  years  old  been  a  very  hard  student,  and  few  persons  have  read 
more  within  the  last  fifteen  years  than  myself.  My  reading  has  extended  to  every  branch  of 
literature  and  science.  The  great  fault  is  that  my  reading  has  been  without  method.  History, 
Biography,  Natural  Philosophy  are  my  favorite  studies,  especially  the  two  first. 

By  nature  I  am  passionate  and  high  tempered,  but  I  have  through  life  endeavored  to  curb 
my  disposition.  I  am  quick  in  my  resentments  and  equally  quick  in  forgetting  and  forgiving  an 
injury.     Little  things  very  often  irritate  and  provoke  me  more  than  they  ought.     I  am  peculiarly 


146  Extracts  from  Governor  Perry's  Journal. 

sensitive  on  most  things,  and  there  is  no  one  more  tenacious  of  his  rights  and  honor.  In  my 
feeUngs  and  affections  I  am  warm-hearted,  generous  and  confiding.  I  think  that  I  have  always 
been  both  in  words,  thoughts  and  deeds,  hberal,  kind  and  humane.  I  have  a  heart  which  loves 
with  prodigality  approaching  to  wildness. 

In  my  morals  I  have  nothing  to  reproach  myself  for.  There  are  very  few  young  men  whose 
lives  have  been  so  blameless  in  this  respect  as  my  own.  It  has  been  a  rule  with  me  never  to 
deviate  from  the  strictest  veracity  in  all  things.  From  deception  and  flattery  I  have  ever  been 
free.     Intoxication,  gambling  and  dissipation  I  have  never  known. 

[Note. — The  above  description  does  not  do  my  father  justice  either  as  to  his  character, 
manner,  mind  or  appearance.  After  happiness  fell  to  his  lot,  he  improved  in  every  respect,  he 
grew  stouter,  and  became  one  '  f  the  noblest  men  in  appearance  a  good  Providence  created ;  in 
manners  he  was  gifted,  his  memory  was  more  retentive  than  he  suspected,  as  his  writings  prove. 
His  friends  often  remarked  to  him  that  he  improved  every  time  they  saw  him.  He  looked  as 
Saul  did,  superior  to  all  around  him.  His  majestic,  grand  appearance  truly  represented  the  noble 
nature  he  was  endowed  with.  "  We  ne'er  shall  see  his  like  again."  He  was  the  most  unselfish 
patriot  that  ever  lived.  He  would  have  gladly  died  for  his  country  to  save  her  from  ruin  and 
degradation . — Hext.  ] 

August  13th,  1843. — I  had  my  head  examined  phrenologically  the  other  day  by  Dr.  Crane, 
a  man  of  Science  and  Professor  of  Phrenology.  He  gave  my  character  entirely  and  perfectly, 
although  a  stranger;  I  had  never  seen  him  or  he  heard  of  me  before.  It  seemed  like  unlocking  to 
me  my  bosom.  Pie  said  my  organ  of  Amativeness  was  large,  and  that  I  was  passionately  fond  of" 
the  other  sex — delighted  in  the  company  of  ladies.  This  is  very  true  and  my  whole  life  has 
shown  it.  Before  I  was  married  I  was  very  much  in  the  company  of  ladies  and  a  great  admirer 
of  them.  He  said  my  organ  of  Philoprogenitiveness  was  large.  I  had  strong  parental  feelings 
and  great  solicitude  for  the  happiness  of  my  children,  but  did  not  make  all  children  pets  or  play- 
things as  some  did.  It  is  entirely  true,  until  I  had  children  of  my  own  I  cared  very  little  about 
them.  My  love  for  children  is  mostly  confined  to  my  own  children — it  is  a  strong  parental 
feeling,  and  no  one  has  it  stronger  than  myself.  He  said  my  Inhabitiveness  was  strong  and 
large,  that  I  was  fond  of  homestead  and  early  reminiscences  of  home  and  boyhood ;  this  is  true. 
He  said  I  had  strong  and  unalterable  affections  when  once  placed.  My  feelings  are  very  strong 
for  my  friends  and  hard  to  be  shaken.  He  said  my  Combativeness  was  large,  which  gave  me 
indomitable  perseverance,  great  courage  and  ability  to  overpower.  That  I  have  perseverance 
very  high,  my  life  proves,  or  I  should  not  have  been  what  I  am ;  that  I  have  courage  enough  to 
fight  is  true,  but  he  said  I  had  more  moral  courage  than  animal  courage.  I  have  always  said  so. 
I  do  not  love  to  fight  or  take  pleasure  in  any  such  excitement  as  some  men  do,  but  let  me  suppose 
that  my  honor  has  been  infringed  and  none  will  fly  to  arms  quicker.  He  said  my  organ  of 
Destrudiveness  was  moderate,  had  ability  to  control  the  passions  and  not  disposed  to  extreme 
measures,  that  I  could  not  willingly  inflict  pain.  This  is  true — to  see  anything  suffering  in  pain, 
is  very  torturing  to  my  feelings.  I  can  control  my  feelings  and  passions.  He  said  my  Secretive- 
ness  was  full,  which  gave  me  a  proper  reserve  and  prudent  expression  without  deceitful ness.  This 
is  true,  I  am  prudent  and  reserved,  but  I  hope  without  deceitfulness.  He  said  my  organ  of 
Acquisitiveness  was  full,  that  I  was  frugal  and  industrious,  and  loved  money  for  what  it  would 
buy  and  not  for  its  own  sake,  that  I  never  would  be  a  rich  man,  and  had  none  of  the  miserly 
feeling,  that  I  liked  to  spend  money  too  well ;  this  my  whole  life  has  proven.  He  said  I  had  a 
strong  relish  for  food ;  that  I  would  view  the  approach  of  death  with  firmness,  that  I  would  pre- 
pare for  danger  at  a  distance  and  meet  it  firmly ;  that  in  danger  I  would  have  presence  of  mind, 
at  a  house  burning  would  act  more  coolly  and  be  more  collected  than  most  persons,  that  I  would 


Extracts  from  Governor  Pkrry's  Journai..  147 

endure  pain  and  would  not  complain  on  a  sick  bed.  This  is  all  true ;  when  my  leg  was  broken 
into  fragments  in  1835,  I  never  uttered  a  complaint,  but  bore  it  with  firmness  and  fortitude,  and 
I  do  prepare  for  danger  at  a  distance.  I  am  cool  and  collected  in  the  midst  of  danger  and  have 
shown  it  lately  at  a  house  burning.  I  meet  danger  with  indifference  when  I  know  it  is  certain 
and  inevitable.  He  told  me  I  wanted  tune  and  colors.  It  is  true  I  cannot  distinguish  colors 
well,  and  as  to  tune,  not  at  all ;  and  yet  he  said  I  admired  paintings  and  liked  music ;  this  is 
true.  He  said  I  had  the  organ  of  Conscientiousness  more  strongly  developed  than  in  any  head 
he  had  ever  examined  before  but  one.  He  said  the  organ  of  Veneration  was  strongly  developed, 
that  I  had  an  intense  admiration  for  all  that  was  good  and  great.  He  said  my  head  was  a  fine 
one,  such  as  phrenologists  would  greatly  admire,  and  a  good  deal  more  he  said.  He  gave  me  a 
chart  which  I  refer  to,  and  will  stop. 


Letter  from  John  M.  Lea,  President  of  the  Tennessee  Historical  Society,  ex-Judge 
Supreme  Court  of  Tennessee. 

[This  beautiful  and  appreciative  letter  was  received  after  this  book  was  prepared 
for  publication,  but  to  please  my  mother,  who  values  it  more  than  words  can  express, 
and  who  has  asked  me  to  insert  it  in  this  book,  though  irrelevant  to  it,  I  have  com- 
plied with  her  wish.  Such  letters  encourage  my  mother  in  the  noble  work  she  has 
undertaken  to  make  my  father's  grand  character  known  to  his  descendants,  and  to 
preserve  his  memory  to  future  generations  as  an  example  of  all  that  was  good  and 
great  in  human  nature.  The  book  alluded  to  by  Judge  Lea  is  the  third  series  (though 
marked  second)  of  Reminiscences,  etc.,  written  by  my  father.] 

Hext  McCali,  Perry. 

CUMBERIvAND   MOUNTAINS,   MONT  EaGI,E,   AuG.    20,    1889. 

Mrs.  B.  F.  Perry. 

Dear  Madame : — I  am  under  renewed  obligations  to  you  for  sending  to  me  the 
speeches  of  your  late  most  eminent  and  patriotic  husband.  You  have,  indeed, 
Madame,  conferred  both  a  favor  and  a  benefit  upon  your  country  and  upon  posterity 
by  your  labor  of  undying  and  devoted  affection  in  placing  in  permanent  form  the 
utterances  in  public  affairs  of  a  statesman  and  a  patriot.  The  several  volumes  con- 
stitute a  mass  of  most  valuable  information,  much  of  it  not  elsewhere  to  be  readily 
found,  the  biographical  essays  being  full  of  pleasing  incidents,  all  told  in  an  admirable 
style,  and  in  every  line,  the  truth  being  strictly  adhered  to,  there  is  exhibited  a  lofti- 
ness of  spirit  most  creditable  to  the  author.  I  do  not  use  language  merely  to  please 
when  I  say  that,  in  my  opinion,  these  volumes  constitute  a  valuable  and  permanent 
contribution  to  the  political  and  biographical  literature  of  our  country,  that  they  are 
destined  to  live,  and  will  be  read,  referred  to,  and  admired  by  the  generations  that 
will  succeed.  • 

It  is  pleasant  to  me  to  know,  in  reference  to  Warren  R.  Davis'  poetry,  that  the 
correctness  of  my  youthful  taste  is  confirmed  by  the  opinion  of  Governor  Perry,  who 
seemed^anxious  to  gather  the  fugitive  pieces  which  flowed  from  the  pen  of  that  gifted 
man,  I  learned  this  summer  that  there  was  in  the  Vanderbilt  Library  a  complete  set 
of  the  Southern  Literary  Messenger,  and,  if  that  is  so,  I  am  about  sure  I  can  find  the 
verses  of  which  I  have  been  in  search.  Should  I  find  the  poetry,  I  will  send  a  copy 
to  you.  Mrs.  President  Polk,  who  well  recollects  Mr.  Davis,  told  me  that  he  once 
inscribed  a  few  lines  to  her,  but  that  she  had  lost  the  manuscript. 

I  note  and  thank  you  for  the  compliment  implied  ift  the  request  that  I  should 
write  a  review  of  these  volumes.  The  infirmity  of  age  is  upon  me,  and  I  seldom  use 
the  pen,  but  when  circumstances  force  me  to  speak,  as  sometimes  happens  in  ques- 
tions that  come  up  before  the  Historical  Society,  I  have  on  more  than  one  occasion 
referred  to  the  writings  of  Governor  Perry  in  such  terms  as  I  thought  they  deserved, 
and  if  I  thought  that  a  more  extended  circulation  could  be  given  by  a  regular  review, 
I  should  not  hesitate  to  undergo  the  labor.  The  volume  embraces  divine  subjects,  dLul 
and  a  general  expression  of  excellence  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  work  is  done 
appears  to  me  the  best  and  highest  commentary.  That,  my  dear  Madame,  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  numerous  testimonials  which  have  been  addressed .  to  you. 
Likely  during  the  approaching  winter  an  occasion  may,  and  doubtless  will  arise — a 
discussion  of  the  Winning  of  the  West  will  bring  it  up — when  I  shall  avail  myself  of 
the  opportunity  to  speak  of  the  life  and  character  of  Governor  Perry,  of  the  great 
services  he  rendered,  and  of  the  greater  services  he  would  have  rendered  had  his  wise 
admonitions  been  heeded. 

Allow  me  to  say  that  my  admiration  for  woman  has  been  confirmed  and  strength- 
ened by  the  devotion  you  have  exhibited  for  the  memory  of  your  most  excellent 
husband,  who,  indeed,  was  worthy  of  it ;  but  that  does  not  in  the  least  degree  lessen 
the  admiration  with  which  all  eyes  must  look  upon  such  a  noble  picture  of  imperish- 
able affection.  With  sincere  regard. 

Your  friend, 

John  M.  Lea. 


She  was  his  life  ; 

The  ocean  to  the  river  of  his  thoughts- 

Which  terminated  all." 


,/V^    OF  THE         -^ 


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